Change in Seasons
by CrystalDaggerz
Summary: Revised.Again. GASP Chapter 9 up. Brago drinks a powerful love potion that takes effect when he's touched by water. To make matters worse, a new mammodo team proves to be a challenge.Read and review plz! BragoxSherry
1. Reality Check

Change in Seasons

Crystaldaggerz

Chapter One

**A/N:** O.k! I can do this! I will correct every wrong doing! Let's hear it for a spelling check! -joins applause-

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Zatch Bell or any of its characters

**Rating: **T (entire story), for mild language and some sexual references and content Rating is subject to change.

* * *

The blonde woman squinted through the thick fog as it enthrallingly rolled itself around them, obscuring the object of her concentration. She was completely unable to see the dark mamodo in front of her, let alone their feeble destabilized opponents.

She gave a weary sigh. Pathetic mamodo such as these always gave unnecessary complications without fail when the whole ordeal could be easily avoided by simply handing over their books.

''Brago''

''I know'' he answered.

He raised his clawed hand in front of him in response, well aware of the location of the opposing team and the direction in which they were fleeing.

''_Reis!_''

His entire hand lit up with the command as a magnificent orb of powerful violet energy charged in the palm of his hand. He released it into the fog—straight towards its attended target. The attack pierced through the haze in a burst of purple light shrouded in shadow, illuminating everything around them for a tense second.

Sherry sighed in relief and closed Brago's black spell book with a thud when she heard the familiar sound of terrified screams tear through the air.

The thick fog rolled up into itself, a frail whisper, and silently rose up as it slowly dissolved into the sky; revealing the familiar surroundings of the greenery that had been veiled only minutes before.

Far off ahead in a diminutive canary patch of flowers, a, fiery haired man was frantically trying to distinguish the blue flames that hungrily devoured his book with the aid of his mamodo. Sherry glanced at Brago and watched as he turned disdainfully on his heels and stalked off with a low grunt. One team down, God knows how much more to go.

Sherry raised her forefingers to her head and vigorously massaged her temple. She knew that he'd be livid after the mamodo battle...those two were most definitely not worthy opponents.

''Aren't you tired?'' she asked weakly after catching up and matching his long strides, attempting to disguise the fatigue she felt without much success. They had been up and about since yesterday afternoon tracking down that team with no rest at all. Her body couldn't handle the new load of stress which she initially believed she could. It was as if she was being crushed; both body and mind. She didn't make her distress known to Brago either; there was no way she'd willingly deal with his snide remarks and his infuriating attitude.

Brago simply ignored her and continued walking.

''I asked you a question, Brago'' Sherry hissed irritably.

He stopped and gave her such petulant look, she closed her mouth and involuntarily twitched before grunting and looking away.

''Don't lump me with you humans that tire so easily, woman''

Pausing, a thoughtful look crossed his features that just as quickly disappeared. Turning his back to her, he walked away once more, not showing any signs of waiting for her.

''Why don't you rest then?" he added with some amusement. "It _is_ all you ever do''

Sherry glared daggers at the back of his head, willing it to combust, and jogged lightly until she was ahead of him. Her pride and her tired body debated heatedly with each other. Should she simply faint from exhaustion or have her pride trampled unmercifully on by Brago?

_Decisions, decisions…_

Deciding that she would have to deal with his unbearable attitude either way, she looked back at him making sure to have a cross expression on her face. ''We're stopping as soon as we are able'' she announced, daring him with her storming eyes to disagree.

Brago smirked, obviously pleased to have won their silent war.

''Typical''

The stay at the two star hotel for Sherry could be accurately described as relaxing and well needed. The good change in mood aided her in looking beyond the depressing condition of the room and its service. The first deed she had done when they arrived was bathe, running the hot water in the faded tub and soaking her drained body in the bubbly water. Soon after, she had slept dreamlessly until the late afternoon, which of course, infuriated Brago.

However, being in total bliss, she completely ignored his constant complaints and even offered to fix a bath for him, which he snippily refused. Rest and relaxation was the last thing he wanted. As he informed her ever so frequently, they were "far too behind in the mamodo battles" for such ''luxury''

Upon refreshing and readying herself for their departure, Sherry merrily informed Brago that they would stop to eat someplace in town.

He didn't approve.

But of _course._

Brago had his arms folded to his chest as he sulked, his crimson glare fastened on his black spell book within Sherry's protective care.

''We need to be looking for other mamodo Sherry, not wasting our time with such _foolishness_'' he remarked impatiently, spitting out the word "foolishness" with a look of such utter disgust, Sherry had to conceal a small smile.

The blonde said nothing at first, thinking before she decided to respond. ''Endeavoring to nourish my body for the purpose of not starving to death does not apply as foolishness, Brago''

He cursed before turning to glare at a tall scrawny kid with spindly limbs that had been staring at him intently for some time. The boy's eyes widened and he quickly tore his gaze away.

Brago couldn't begin to stand Sherry's human needs: if he could become mamodo king without her aid, he would. He loathed having to be dependent on anyone...especially if it was someone far weaker than himself; and his blonde partner was definitely weaker then him.

Sherry stopped suddenly. Brago followed suit and looked to her with an intense glare, hoping that it would be enough to make her want to change her mind. Her blue gaze was fastened on a small diner across the street from where they were. Clapping her hands together, she laughed; a display of ecstasy that had been gradually becoming more common.

The blonde dashed to the sidewalk and made a beeline for the diner, receiving constant stares from passerby's; possibly due to Brago's strange appearance, though neither took notice. Sherry had long since grown accustomed to the mamodo and no longer noticed how different he looked from a human; even with gray skin, piercing crimson eyes, pointed teeth, and apparel that would put a Goth to shame; and Brago frankly didn't give a rat's ass about what anyone thought of him. _Especially_ humans.

When the pair made it to the Takahashi Diner, Sherry inhaled the scent that engulfed the entire inside as she threw open the metallic doors. She gestured to the annoyed mamodo behind her to follow as she strode over to a table far from the other dining customers.

They took their seats in silence.

Though that didn't last long.

"_Gah_!"

Sherry jumped up from her seat and stared in horror at the large roach crawling nonchalantly under her seat. Brago, who had jumped up with her in alarm when she had cried out, looked aghast when he saw what had caused such a reaction. He glared at her from across the table and sat back down again.

"Idiot" he accused.

Sherry glared back at him. "It surprised me is—"

''Irasshaimase''

Sherry's blue eyes flew from her irritated partner to the bright smiling face of a young waiter clad in a lime green uniform and holding a menu in his left hand.

''…Konnichi wa'' she replied politely, endeavoring to obscure the fear on her face. She took her seat again and looked back to see that the roach had disappeared. Brago didn't miss this and sent Sherry a meaningful smirk. She ignored him.

Sherry decided to pretend nothing had occurred for the sake of her appetite and sanity and took the menu offered to her with thanks. It was then that she noticed that their waiter made no move to offer one to Brago. In fact, he was either ignoring him or completely oblivious to his existence. His attention was fastened wholly on her, lips curled into a jubilant smile. Confused, she daintily raised a brow before looking down to her menu.

''Pancakes and a glass of orange juice, please''

The blonde waiter smiled and winked at her. ''It'll be right out miss'' he responded cheerfully. With that, he walked off, exchanging a look with another waiter as he left.

Sherry gave a sigh of relief when he was out of sight and she finally succeeded in getting rid of the small blush staining her cheeks. She could attack with a glare to kill vulgar men but it was the polite gentlemen that she really had trouble with.

Sighing, she shifted in the plastic seat and watched idly as he reappeared in the front of the store and began conversing with another waiter. Frowning, she realized the uneasiness she feeling was being caused by someone staring at her. Turning to face Brago, she saw that he was giving her an odd look.

''What?'' she asked innocently.

Instead of answering, her mamodo partner looked away. Not especially concerned with his strange behavior, she turned to look out of the window. She watched an elderly couple chat happily together as they fed a group of birds... probably reminiscing and talking about old times. A group of teenagers passed by them as they strolled down the sidewalk, laughing animatedly as they sang along to invisible lyrics on their iPod's.

Sad, that they were unaware of what was occurring all around them beneath their very noses. A fierce battle was taking place between mamodo, a foreign race not even human. It was rather unfortunate that one day they would discover the truth. About everything: when a kind king took the crown and brought peace, or a ruthless king caused their destruction. The thought brought up a question that the blonde had been meaning to voice for quite some time. She had often thought about it, though she never really gotten an opportunity to ask.

''What kind of king will you become, Brago?'' she whispered softly, watching the group of birds fly off from the grass and over the rooftops. Brago looked at her, surprise etched in his features by the question.

_What is this all of a sudden?_ He thought as he furrowed his brows at her.

''Nani?''

Before she could explain, the blonde waiter returned, food in hand. Setting down her order before her, the odor from the steaming plate of food invaded her senses with ecstatic grace, making her forget what she had been talking about almost immediately. In response, her stomach growled loudly, reminding her of her hunger.

The waiter left them hurriedly, gone before she could ask for another order. Sherry raised a brow at his behavior. He was much more polite when they had first arrived. She hesitated for a moment, not sure whether she should eat in front of Brago when he didn't have a plate of his own. Her stomach growled another complaint as if to answer her inquiry.

Deciding that she was too hungry to wait for the cold mamodo to get his plate, she reached over to get the pot of maple syrup beside the shakers and napkins and poured the thick warm substance over the buttered pancakes. She then cut a large piece with her knife and stuck it in her mouth.

She closed her eyes and hummed her approval. It was wonderful.

Brago silently observed the woman's odd conduct, at a loss of why the blonde was so...dramatic at times. And even stranger, those times were becoming less rare and even more frequent. Frowning as he thought about it, he watch as her pink tongue flicked out from her mouth to lick the syrup from her lips. Her cheeks were stained rosy pink for a reason he did not know...she was not usually in such a good mood for long stretches of time.

Sherry looked up suddenly and caught him staring at her. Blinking a few times, she paused in the devouration of her meal.

''What?''

''Nothing'' he answered quickly, turning his attention to the window.

The confused blonde looked down at her plate in thought. Cutting another piece, she offered it to Brago.

''Do you want some?'' she asked, a smile tugging at her lips at the thought of him actually accepting her offer.

He glared at her.

''I only eat meat''

Sherry thought about this for a second as she stuck the rejected pancake in her mouth.

''Do you want to go and get a Big Mac from Burger King instead, Brago?'' she teased.

The irritated look he gave her told her he had no idea what she was talking about. The joke flew straight over his head.

Sighing in defeat, she gulped down the last of her orange juice and set it down gingerly back to its plastic mat. She had to admit, it was nice for her to relax like this after the many long and tiring mamodo battles. She wanted to save Koko from the grasp of Zofis, but she couldn't do that if she died from exhaustion or if she snapped and went completely insane before she got the chance.

She had to ensure that things like that didn't happen. She would save he friend...along with Brago's help. And until then she would keep her grip on sanity.

If only Brago could understand her logic.

Swirling her finger in the small pool of syrup on her plate, she observed the dark mamodo in front of her as he stared out the window, something she was unable to do often. A smile played delicately on her lips as she thought back to when she asked Brago to have ice cream cone with her.

_''What the hell is that?'' Brago asked, eyeing the strange object Sherry held in her hand. It was a thick white substance that dripped shamelessly from its perch on top of a brown cone. The item was strange looking and he couldn't recall ever seeing one before. The blonde woman gave him an odd look._

_''It's a…ice cream cone'' she replied, surprised that he didn't know. ''Do you want one?''_

_Brago's ruby eyes gave the cone a disapproving glare. ''No''_

_Sherry shook her head and gave Brago a smug look. Bringing the cone to her lips, she gave it a lick, pink against white vanilla. After she tasted it, she held it out to the dark mamodo, showing him there was no potential harm._

_''It's not dangerous Brago, and it's not going to bite you. Just lick it''_

_Brago looked doubtful and quickly refused, saying that he wouldn't eat something that was made by a human._

She chuckled to herself at the memory and made a mental note to get him an ice cream cone later.

''Excuse me, miss''

Having her thoughts interrupted, Sherry turned to her speaker and nearly jumped away in surprise and fear.

''Eto...yes?'' she managed to say after regaining her composure and carefully scrutinizing the person. The individual who stood before was in fact not a Martian as she had initially thought, but a small elderly man. He was very bony and white hair harnessed the majority of his face and nostrils. However, there was no hair to speak on the top of his head.

He smiled broadly, revealing crooked pale teeth. ''Good afternoon, miss! On this magnificent Tuesday, we're celebrating my 20th birthday. As a glorious treat, every woman gets a special drink on the house! Why don't you have some too, lovely lady?''

Sherry's golden brows furrowed together slightly at the request. This man looked four times older then his supposed age of twenty and his overwhelming enthusiasm was disturbing, especially with the way the light hit his bald head just right so that it sparkled brightly at the same time he gave her a hearty thumbs up. Nevertheless, she nodded her agreement. She deserved it, right?

Taking the glass, she eyed the pink liquid oddly and looked up to see their waiter from before standing over her next to the elder. He gave her a friendly smile.

''Go ahead and drink it'' he encouraged kindly. As she brought it to her lips, the elderly man spun around and eagerly congratulated himself. Straightening out his long beard he thought of the success of his plan.

"Um…sir?"

How lucky was he to have such a beautiful fine lass come to him when he needed to test his new potion!? The thought of the woman as his prize made him laugh out loud.

"_Sir_?"

_Calm down_, the potion maker warned himself. He had a knack of saying his thoughts aloud and bursting out with laughter…now wasn't the time to do so when fate decided to give him such a lovely test subject. There was no way in hell the grannies that often came by were going to cut it. Chuckling, he turned with a large smile dominating his face to face the results of his wonderful genius, missing the swift goodbye his waiter gave him as he hauled tail.

His mouth nearly hit the floor as his brain tried to disagree with what his eyes were seeing. The celestial golden haired goddess was tending to the dark haired young man who had been seated at her table. And...the glass was in his hands! And it was empty? What in the…

''He's sick! That drink…what was it really!?'' she demanded, anger flashing like lightning in her sapphire eyes.

He put his hands up as if to shield himself. He debated quickly whether he should lie or tell them the truth. Curse his heart. He turned to see that his so-called partner had left him when he failed to get the girl to drink his potion. Sighing he coughed. He would tell them the truth. Something told him that lying would be suicide in this case.

''Well, he wasn't supposed to have drunken that in the first place…'' he answered inaudibly.

Sherry helped Brago to his feet, who was clenching his stomach and gritting his teeth from the excruciating pain he felt in his chest. His ruby eyes met the potion makers gray ones, promising a new kind of death for the pain he was experiencing. The older man winced in terror.

Sherry raised a dainty brow. ''Why not?'' she asked slowly as if challenging him. Her eyes were almost as fierce as her companion. Almost. The other customers looked back at the developing scene in interest.

Gulping, he prayed for protection from the God of Abraham. The young woman was truly terrifying...but then her companion…_whoa boy._

''Well...uh, it was...ahhhhhh ...''

Brago cut his eyes at him, crimson knives of steel fury.

Geez, the older man thought. How much can a person glare? ''Well...it was a love potion'' he responded finally. He looked away quickly.

''What!?'' she exclaimed, feeling a mix of disgust and rage rise up in her.

''That potion was meant for you'' he remarked defensively, making sure to lower his voice so the other customers wouldn't hear. Lord knows he wasn't interested in young men.

''It takes effect on the individual who consumes it—causing them to fall in love with whomever they received it from. A strong love and lust that is undying'' He answered tenderly. Passion laced his words as he was blissfully reminded of his genius. He was truly wonderful.

Brago felt sick to his stomach as disgust and dread overwhelmed him in the form of grotesque images concerning the near dead thing before him. He was going to fall in love with an old, no _ancient_ human male? Lust?! A low growl escaped him as he clenched his clawed fists. He wanted to become mamodo king more than anything, and he once believed that he would do anything to achieve his ultimate goal.

But living his life loving and harboring sexual desires for an elderly man was not on his things to do. Pushing himself away from his partner, he grabbed the old man by his collar and slammed him into the wall behind them. He glared fiercely and clenched the collar of the man's shirt even more tightly.

Sherry stepped forward in concern. She could understand how he felt, but she couldn't have him killing a man, especially in public. But then again…he_ did_ try to make her his love slave. She shivered at the thought.

''Don't kill him Brago'' she said regretfully.

Dizziness swept through his head as his insides seemed to flip about inside him. For a moment he felt weak and woozy, and he swayed, his grip gradually slipping on the shirt material he held. The feeling slowly passed, and he shakily regained his composure.

He snarled at the panic stricken older man.

''If I kill this pathetic creature, the potion will no longer effect me'' he replied cold heartedly. The elderly man's eyes went as round as dinner saucers.

''Don't kill me! You don't understand! I can make a cure!'' His pleads were rushed and high-pitched, proof of his fear.

Sherry gave him an odd look while Brago looked completely unimpressed.

''Besides...'' he began, joyful all of a sudden. Happiness lit up his face like a bright flash bulb.

''Besides what?'' Brago snarled irately.

The newly found joy disappeared as quickly as it had come. He sighed, his breath shakier than he ever heard it. If he ever had a chance of living past this horrid situation, this piece of information would be the cause.

''I wasn't the one who gave you that potion...was I?''

* * *

**A/N:** A cliffy? Me? Wow...:D

My goodness...so embarrassing...now that I've revised this, I reeeeally want someone to review this. I can't believe I messed up this chapter so much before, wow. This is MUCH better, so pleeease review! Pretty please? XD


	2. Trouble

Change in Seasons

Chapter Two

Crystaldaggerz

**A/N:** Let me see if I can use a narration to describe how embarrassing it is to reread this and discover what you guys had to endure. Imagine believing your all alone in your class room. Your as naked as you could dream to be, save a sticker on your butt that reads 'What have YOU done to help the environment?' and a blind fold.

You are skipping and twirling to R. Kelly's Ignition remix. You are singing along and sounding horrible. Now imagine going on the school's computer to Youtube and finding a video of your crazy antics with over 600000 hits and almost as much favorites. That feeling is close to what I kinda feel right now. It sucks...Hopefully this is better. :D

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Zatch Bell

* * *

At first, Brago had no idea at all what the elderly man squirming in his grip was talking about. Sherry did give him the potion, but what did it matter? Sherry didn't drink from the glass, _he_ did.

What the hell did he mean?

_''It takes effect on the individual who consumes it—causing them to fall in love with whomever they received it from"_

_''...received it from''_

_''...received it from''_

_''...received it from''_

He froze, stunned. The elderly man informed him of that earlier. He was not in fact going to fall for the human male, but for…

…his human partner…Sherry.

Suddenly, everything seemed to swirl, the entire room flipped upside down and spun. Gripping harder onto the man's shirt, he held his head with his free hand and waited for the dizziness to pass.

In the mamodo world, he never harnessed such feelings as something as ludicrous as love, and he carried that with him to the human world. This new enlightenment definitely complicated things. He couldn't simply kill Sherry like he could the old man. He cursed vehemently.

_Damn it all._

Raising his victim a little higher off the ground, he released his head and gave the old man his full attention.

''When will the cure be available?''

''I don't know, it could take months before I-''

''**What**?''

By now, the intensity of Brago's glare on the old man was frightening, even for Sherry. She could understand why he felt so angered. The cold mamodo's heart was warming a bit, and she was constantly searching for ways to speed up the process, but the predicament he was in was a tad bit overwhelming—damn it, _she_ was stunned. Her mouth was still gaping as her mind struggled to overcome the shock.

Funny that thinking conveniently seemed impossible when Brago looked ready to kill the revolting pervert.

The older man smiled greedily and laughed. Both mamodo and his human partner were genially confused. This man was laughing in such a position? The only logical explanation for it was that he went mad in his intense state of fear. Brago shook him hard and brought his face closer to his, their noses robbed of the space between them. The look on the dark mamodo's face was one that a rabid predator gives his prey.

Given the current situation, Sherry believed that any sane person would give Brago what he wanted. She couldn't even stand it when he was in a mood like this, a mood he sometimes reached when he believed they were behind in the mamodo battles. So she dealt with it often; she wasn't surprised in the least to see that he was pissed off. That old man had to be careful.

''However...I could find a way...to lessen the amount of time it would take me...with some sort of encouragement'' the elderly man replied, his greed taking over whatever sanity he may have had.

Sherry was dumbfounded. Stepping up, she put a gentle hand on Brago's shoulder. How was she supposed to try to help the older man when he was practically begging to get himself killed?

Brago snorted and showed the suicidal elder his clawed fingers after shrugging off his partner's hand.

''How about this for _encouragement_ old man: you make me that cure, and I won't rip out you're intestines and strangle you with them'' he snarled coarsely. This seemed to take the desired effect, and the older man raised his hands up in apology.

Sweat trickled down his bald head as he coughed nervously. ''I-I-I-I was j-just joking, you know'' he managed to say, forcing a chocked laugh. Suddenly, an idea struck him and he gave a toothy grin.

''Did I forget to tell you that the effects of the potion activate when you're exposed to water?'' he asked.

Being the genius that he was, he added that particular characteristic in case he wanted out. A measure he only took with this particular potion. The plan had originally been to give the young lady the drink and have that backstabbing waiter conveniently spill a glass of water on her. Perfect.

At least he thought it was.

''No...'' Sherry responded coyly. Turning to Brago, she tried to give him an encouraging smile. ''You see? It's not so bad Brago'' _Yeah_, she thought. _Just no_ _showers, baths or time in the rain for the rest of your life._ But she didn't say that part aloud.

Brago ignored her and massaged his temple with his free hand again, trying to ease the aching feeling he felt in his head. The dizziness looked as if it wanted to return. He released his hold on the other man.

All he had to do was ensure he wouldn't be exposed to water before the cure was ready. It shouldn't be too complicated. Giving an irritated sigh, he watched as Sherry stooped down to the panic stricken older man gathered on the floor and gave him a stern look.

'What's you're name?'' she asked.

''…Koi Takahashi''

''Listen well human. We will return for the cure, and you had better have it by then'' Brago warned icily, voice low.

Sherry nodded and stood up, straightening her dress. She noticed that he didn't use Koi's name although he recently found it out.

Brago followed Sherry to the door as she looked discontentedly back, ignoring the different mixed expressions the customers were giving them on their way out. Something crossed Brago's mind, and before he exited out, he turned in the doorway to face the older man.

''Don't even _think_ about running away old man. I'll hunt you down to the ends of this pathetic planet, and when I find you, I'll rip you're soul from you're body kicking and screaming and send it straight to hell'' the dark mamodo snarled. With that said, Brago exited without another word.

The customers turned to each other pondering on what the raven haired psychopathic man that had just left them could do to their Koi. They lost their appetites.

Koi pondered on whether or not he should go after the pair and inform them that they haven't paid their bill. He wondered if they would they pay him after all the trouble they caused in his diner. He didn't think any of the customers there today wee coming back.

Kinshou, the blonde waiter, pondered when he could come out of the janitor's closet. He was starving...but Koi could still be out there.

He didn't get paid enough to be that mad scientists help.

As soon as Brago was outside the diner, he cursed out loud.

In the time that they were inside, it had been raining. The once dry town was wet from the downpour: mocking puddles littered the roads and sidewalks, rain drops fell malevolently from the roofs of buildings and leaves from the trees and bushes. The sun was out, which meant it would all dry soon, but not soon enough. It seemed as if it had rain just to infuriate him...lady luck had to be a sadist. He cursed her and the spell to the fiery depths of hell.

Sherry laughed nervously. ''Don't worry Brago, it's not as bad as it looks…'' She said, though she knew he could hear the uncertainty in her voice.

He growled.

Not too soon after he did this, the aching and dizziness in his head returned. His insides felt as if they were doing somersaults while everything around him dangerously spun out of control. Brago grimaced in pain and with both hands, held his head. Sherry quickly noticed his discomfort.

''What's wrong?'' she asked, holding his shoulders to balance her partner, concern delicately lacing her words.

''Nothing... Sherry…I sense a mamodo somewhere around here''

Sherry's golden brow arched in question. A mamodo at a time like this one was bittersweet. The battle could get their minds off the dilemma at hand, while at the same time prove dangerous to Brago since there was so much water present. If the mamodo was anything like Brago, they could find them, and it would put them at an advantage to find them first.

Sighing, Sherry released Brago and put her hands on her hips. Biting her bottom lip she made her decision. ''Where are they?'' she asked.

''Somewhere in that direction''

He pointed a clawed finger to the woods a little far off. Sherry wrinkled her nose. This could prove to be difficult, she thought. All they would do was be careful. As they reluctantly made their way in the direction of the woods, she noticed there wasn't any man made trails once they made it under the ceiling of slick branches and glittering leaves. As if their situation needed to be any more complicated.

While stepping carefully through the wood debris, she couldn't help but think of her reaction if Brago should ever be exposed to water activating the potion. Would she be able to handle it? But then, she couldn't imagine Brago being any different them he was. Passionate lover didn't exactly fit the whole "anti-social stoic cold-hearted fighter" vibe he had going for him.

A drop of water on her head interrupted her thoughts. Looking up, she saw that it had fallen from the green mane of leaves of the tree above her. She looked quickly to Brago and saw that it didn't look like he was getting wet. The angry homicidal aura surrounding him was probably acting as a sort of shield, making the water evaporate before it could reach him. The thought made her smile.

She continued walking, following Brago as she steadily stepped over fallen limbs, roots, and trudged through mud in the process, greatly missing the hotel room they left behind. A cool breeze that came through the trees ruffled her dress and hair, the golden locks whipping about her face and into her line of vision. Brago felt it too, and immediately detected that something was wrong. That breeze had carried the scent of the mamodo along with the pine, flowers, and honey but there was something off about it. It came from a different direction then the one he had initially sensed it from.

The mamodo had somehow drastically changed positions in no time at all.

Ahead, a log cabin came into view where he had first sensed the mamodo. When Sherry finally caught up with Brago on the trail that he had been following, she looked around the cabin for anything out of the ordinary.

Nothing.

The cabin itself wasn't much of a hideout; the windows were broken and a jewel green from a growing family of bacteria. The decaying wet and mossy wood stunk horribly. With Brago's acute sense of smell, Sherry didn't understand how he could stand it, when she herself was having difficulty standing near it.

Stepping up to the door, she tried to turn the rusted knob, only to have it fall off in the process. She stared it at with some disgust.

_Nobody can be living here_, she thought to herself. _It hasn't been touched in ages..._

The blonde stepped back and tackled the door with her shoulder as hard as she could. Despite her effort, the door didn't give, and all she got in return was a throbbing shoulder. Wincing, she frowned, not understanding why the door didn't give when everything else was falling apart, and she said this to Brago.

Once again, she observed the door as she rubbed her shoulder and this time she noticed that unlike the rest of the cabin and the knob, the door looked brand new.

''Why don't you give it a try?'' she asked thoughtfully, stepping back. Brago grunted in response. Leaning back, he kicked the door only once, and it landed to the ground with a thud.

''Arigato Brago''

''Hn''

The inside was simple and cozy. There was a small stove and table with two chairs on the opposite wall beside a pair of skies in the corner. Two twin size beds sat on either wall with only a wooden dresser between them, each promising a restless sleep full with nightly visits from a family of bedbugs. Other than the antique furniture, there was nothing in the small cabin—no mamodo.

Sherry turned and noticed a pot of tea on the stove still brewing. She absentmindedly walked over and turned off the stove before quickly coming to her senses. She opened the black spell book. The team couldn't have been too far away from the cabin with tea brewing on the stove. ''Prepare yourself, Brago'' she warned.

They stood rigid, waiting for the inhabitants of the old cabin to return…but no mamodo team came casually and unknowing of their presence through the door like she expected. Sighing nervously, Sherry stood up straight and gave a nervous laugh.

''Maybe I'm over-''

Suddenly, a blue light illuminated around the blonde woman before she could complete her statement. With terrified eyes, she looked to Brago, completely unable to do anything else—she couldn't move a single limb in her body.

''Kami...Brago!'' she cried.

"Hold on" he replied.

Brago made a swift grab for his partner, but the blue light disappeared along with her. He stood still for a moment, his eyes fastened to the empty spot where his partner had been only a moment before. His mind was having trouble trying to grasp what had just occurred.

_Damn!_

Whatever happened…he couldn't just stand her gaping like an idiot. Ignoring the dizziness that swept over him once more, he ran out of the cabin, not sure where he was heading.

xxxx

Sherry reappeared on the top of a hill. Baffled and looking about her, she could see that she had an astounding view of the woods which she and Brago had traveled through earlier. She could even make out the cabin. She stiffened.

_Brago._

Turning around, she realized that Brago was not beside her.

_How did I get here...?_

''I teleported you up here''

Sherry looked behind her to where she heard the male voice to see a tall young woman standing before her with a mamodo child at her side, so unlike her favorite young mamodo Zatch Bell. With his attire of a T-shirt and sneakers, he looked like a normal child if you ignored the distinguishing lines running down his cheeks from beneath his eyes of a mamodo.

Beside him stood his human partner, hair as dark as Brago, grinning ear to ear. She appeared gothic, donning pitch black chained and pierced clothing and dark lipstick. In her hands was her mamodo's grey spell book which was glowing magnificently. Chocolate eyes focused on her, the girl placed her free hand on its yellow pages.

''Why don't you just hand over that spell book, and save yourself from some serious trouble?'' she cooed.

Glaring, Sherry protectively hugged Brago's book to her chest and stood up. ''When you pry it from my cold dead fingers'' she snapped back fiercely.

Backing up, she spun on her heels and ran off from the team seeking Brago. She hated to run, but she wasn't exactly stupid. She knew that she didn't stand a chance on her own, especially without any weapons—and an injured pride was better then a burned book.

After covering a good distance, she looked back. They weren't even behind her. Sherry stopped in her tracks panting, and tried to catch her breath. That was odd…why weren't they chasing her?

Suddenly, a blue light enveloped her once more. In realization of what was happening, she cursed herself out loud. How could she forget their teleportation spell?

In a blink of an eye, Sherry was standing in front of the human girl once more. Thinking quickly, Sherry dropped to the ground and swept her leg beneath her feet causing the woman to trip. Making a grab for the other girl's book, the blonde felt a sharp pain in her back and cried out in sheer agony.

Behind her, the mamodo kid licked the blood dripping from his clawed fingers in thick red rivulets to form a puddle at his feet. ''Forget about me?'' he asked coolly, orange eyes widening enticingly.

His partner stood up slowly, a smug smile plastered on her face as she reopened her book.

_Fool. _

That's what her brown eyes seem to say to her.

''_Lordeto_!''

The mamodo raised both of his hands as Sherry desperately struggled to get up to her feet.

_Move!_ she desperately commanded her body.

The pain from her back was close to unbearable and she could feel a dark fogginess enter her mind as she struggled to stay conscious. Turning her head, her cloudy eyes could barely discern the young mamodo's hands as it glowed brilliantly and become engulfed in a ball of pure white energy.

Blue eyes widening in fear, Sherry helplessly watched as bullet sized energy flew from it and into her direction. Shutting them and spinning her head around, she clutched the book to her chest and braced herself for the blows, praying that she would at least be able to save Brago's book from the blast. But…

_I don't want to die!!_

She waited for the hit to come. And waited. Surprised that she wasn't already dead, she blinked her eyes opened and took a breath, not knowing when she had held it in the first place.

_Nani...?_

Sherry looked behind her to see what had stopped the attack she had been sure was coming. Her eyes widened in joy.

''Brago!''

Brago stood with his back to her, facing her attacker. Looking back at Sherry, he noticed the five ugly bloody marks which had tattered the material of her dress and dug deep into her flesh. He cursed silently and balled his hands in tight fists as a strange anger flared within him.

That insolent child marred his partner.

Sherry stood up slowly, looking as if she'd fall over at any moment, but she still managed to glare daggers at the sneering girl before her. The blonde tried her best to ignore the pain vindictively attacking her bruised body—that and the webbed fingers of darkness edging into her vision.

''B-brago, listen to me, they…have… a…a teleportation spell—they can teleport whatever they wish to different l-locations. We…have to be…careful'' she hissed through clenched teeth.

Brago smirked, happy to be able to finally release his pent up stress and frustration. He felt as unstable as hell, but he doubted Sherry would mind too much—and if anything, he could blame it on the potion. 'That just means we have to finish them more quickly''

he answered.

Opening Brago's spell book, Sherry observed their reactions. They were priceless. The younger mamodo was trembling with rage, orange eyes flashing with anger. He looked to his partner who appeared to be as upset as he was.

Perfect.

''Give us your book and I'll consider sparing you a humiliating and painful defeat''

Sherry had casually tossed those mocking words in the air to her attacker, praying it'd infuriate him even more.

It did.

"Come on, Charlotte " he growled, voice dripping with fatal poison. "Let's teach these bozo's a lesson they better not forget any time soon''

His raven haired female partner smirked and glowered at both Brago and Sherry with cold russet eyes. Brago returned her glare with far greater intensity and smiled when her composure dropped for just a moment as she flinched in fear.

"Its like she said, Frey" the small mamodo's human partner ground out. "We'll just have to pry that book of hers from her dead fingers"

* * *

**A/N:** Gah…There were so…many…mistakes….XD But it's much better now, review plz!


	3. Another Trouble

Change in Seasons

Chapter Three

Crystaldaggerz

**A/N**: Hello everyone, I hope you feel a lot better then I do. Enjoy.

* * *

"Follow me, Brago!" With that said Sherry turned around on her heels and ran off in the opposite direction of the other mamodo.

Brago growled, but turned around and ran after her with great displeasure. He despised running from their opponents, especially when he was as pumped as he currently was.

_Sherry better be planning on an attack_, he thought bitterly after stealing a glance in her direction. Considering that she was only human, he was surprised that she was able to run in her condition; though her gait was slow and her face tense with pain. The angry marks adorning her back mocked him, reminding him of how he was able to protect her. He felt his blood boil with greater ferocity than before.

Someone was going to die.

He could easily pass her, but he kept her pace—just in case. Her brows were knitted together in concentration, as her plan unfolded itself before her in her mind. She prayed that she had planned it right...that her hunch was correct...She gritted her teeth and suppressed a yelp of pain as she felt agony rip through her.

She could make it...

Just a while longer...

''_Lordet!_''

Perfect.

Both Brago and Sherry were swept off their feet in the portal, reappearing back in front of Frey and his partner. Sherry looked right into their grinning faces as she shouted the rest of the spell she had been reciting.

''_—gano Reis!_''

The powered up version of Reis hit the other mamodo team full force. With tense content, Sherry watched as they were thrown screaming through the woods, hitting multiple branches until they made impact with a large tree and fell to the ground below. Both mamodo and human partner were dazed from the blows and Sherry took the opportunity to cast another spell.

''_Gravirei!_''

In response, an intense amount of gravity crushed their opponents to the ground causing both to cry out in pain. Brago gave Sherry a side look. The look of concentration lessoned, but she still appeared to look intense. She was sweating from the pain she had continuously fought to contain. Suddenly her eyes widened and she spun around, panic stricken and cursing.

He looked again to Frey and his partner. They were gone.

''Sherry, cast the fourth spell!'' he shouted snarling in frustration. Why was it that their enemies continued to run without fail? Sherry placed her hand over the black book once more.

''_Ion_ _Gravirei!_''

Sherry braced herself as the destructive beam of gravity destroyed almost everything in the entire area. She strained her eyes to catch sight of the opposing team, tried to listen intently for any shout or cry of pain, but she couldn't detect them anywhere.

When the destruction ended, and the smoke cleared, Sherry looked around frantically to spot them once more. Brago was breathing heavily, having used so much energy when he wasn't feeling well to begin with. The symptoms seemed as if they threatened to return, so he stooped down so he wouldn't fall. Sherry looked down at him in concern even as she experienced her own unbelievable pain. Her gaze was met with an aggravated glare.

''Brago...?''

Not wishing to explain himself, he looked away from her. ''I can no longer sense them around here. They must have run away...again'' he growled, annoyed that he could not defeat them at the moment. Sherry gave a perturbed sigh and clenched her fist. What the hell?!

Brago returned to his feet. He felt somewhat strained, but it was nothing that he hadn't felt before. He looked tiredly at the destruction he had made causing an old feeling to rise up within him.

He pushed it back down. What mattered most now was that he defeat this team who ridiculed him. No one who fought him would win and none will escape, that's how it had always been and it wouldn't change now.

He glanced over and studied Sherry as she continued to breathe heavily, her azure eyes hidden behind heavy eyelids and her skin slick with sweat. She was obviously still both enduring and stubbornly fighting to stay conscious despite the livid throbbing of her wounds on her back and the stress overwhelming her. Sherry looked as if the slightest breeze would knock her down, yet the proud woman still refused to say anything about what she was feeling.

The damn stubborn woman.

A sound of crackling leaves from his left forced him to return from his thoughts. The sound was faint but with his acute hearing he had heard it.

''Brago, I know this seems upsetting but we can always find them again...'' Sherry stated lightly, oblivious to the sound, trying to ease the tension he probably felt and the tension she knew she felt.

He didn't answer. Instead, he approached a thick tree suffering great damage from his attacks though it was not located in the radius of his spell. He reached and roughly pulled something from behind it. She gasped softly. It was a small boy.

Sherry rushed over to his side as quickly as she could with the punishment she endured with each step. When she finally made it, she brushed away Brago's hand from the boy and gave him a look. She did the best she could in bending to his level in her current condition to scrutinize him; his clothes were in no better condition than hers, with the exception of the dark blood staining the violet material of her dress. His brown hair was mostly black from mud and matted to his forehead, but standing out from his dirty face caked with dirt like a candle in the dark was his eyes. Dark large sad eyes.

It was everything she could do to not grab him and give him a suffocating embrace. Instead, she took his hand and held it, looking him straight in his warm brown eyes.

Brago sighed irately, oblivious to Sherry's change in emotion or the condition of the boy. Glaring daggers at them both with crimson eyes, he crossed his arms and spoke crossly, ''Leave that pathetic kid Sherry. We have to find that mamodo team''

Sherry ignored him. "Are you alright? What's you're name?''

He blushed slightly turning away from her gaze. When he looked to Brago, he looked away even quicker, intimidated by the irate look etched harshly in his features.

''What's _your_ name?'' he asked shyly, avoiding her bright eyes.

''Sherry Belmont'' she answered, smiling sweetly. This little boy before her was just so completely adorable. She found herself chuckling weakly despite herself. However, it made the fact that he was out here by himself looking so filthy even stranger. She didn't push him to say anything, she waited and like she hoped, he looked up at her, brown eyes full of innocence.

''My name is Hoshi Hiewa''

Brago made a irritated noise that sounded something like a cross between a snort and a grunt.

''Sherry, didn't you hear me? I said forget about the child. We need to find the other mamodo team before they get too far''

Both Sherry and Hiewa turned to look at him. Sherry's look was fierce and the little boy's fascinated.

''I know where they are''

''Nani?'' the pair said simultaneously.

Brago turned and studied the boy for the first time. His face was almost emotionless, showing no signs of whether he was speaking the truth or not. The mamodo didn't know whether or not he should believe him, and it could be easily seen in his disbelieving expression. Sherry put both her hands onto his shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes again. The boy returned her gaze.

''Hiewa, you _do_ know these are very dangerous people, don't you?'' Sherry whispered sternly. As she said this, she wondered if he had witnessed the battle that occurred only a few moments before. Brago continued to observe Hiewa trying to determine if it was best if he lead them to Frey and his partner—if he was speaking the truth.

''They owe me. They can't hurt me. I'll lead you to them''

he said confidently.

Sherry frowned. She wasn't a parent of any kind, but the thought of putting this boy in harms way did not appeal to her in the slightest. However...so did leaving him by himself in the woods which he appeared to be. Sighing, Sherry straightened herself and turned to face Brago doing her best not to wince. He looked extremely peeved, of course.

She gave him a stern look and took Heiwa's hand. Brago raised a brow

''Brago, I'm not entirely sure that what he's saying is true, but I am sure that I will not leave a little boy out here by himself. And we need to contact a relative...'' A harsh cough escaped her throat effectively interrupting her. Obviously straining, she finished the rest of her sentence. ''...H-he will stay w-with us in the meantime. Without the m-mamodo battles''

It took a while before the information could register. Brago glared daggers at the blonde and snarled. ''You are not the one to decide whether I participate in a battle or not Sherry. And there is no way that I'm going to babysit any child'' He crossed his arms and gave her a look daring her to disagree. He was really behaving like a spoiled child, though he did look slightly concerned with her condition. As did Hiewa.

''Well Brago, we can't _all_ be heartless towards children, can we? We are most definitely not leaving him here. Regardless of what you _feel_'' The stubborn blonde seemed to completely recover from her earlier attack as she faced him head on.

''I couldn't care less of what you think of me. And I don't feel anything towards the matter, I know what I want, and I want to look for those mamodo''

_Three year old much?_ she thought bitterly.

Hiewa looked at both partners as they went back and forth. Brago was being both stubborn and cold while Sherry was just as stubborn. It was like watching a bull fight. Through it all, Brago seemed to completely loathe the idea of watching over him...

Hiewa stepped from behind Sherry, gripping her dress while looking Brago right in his crimson eyes.

''I could lead you to them. I won't be any trouble'' he said softly.

Brago made a noise sounding like a snort. Sherry put her hand on his curly head smiling a bit. ''Brago...we will watch over him. Whether we allow him to lead us to Frey and Charlotte we'll decide tomorrow''

Even as she said this, she couldn't help but feel slightly guilty. What if there was some heartbroken mother looking for her son now? But for some reason, deep down in her gut, the decision felt…right? She couldn't really contemplate the issue at the moment even if she wanted, because her mind closed up on her right then.

Hiewa gave a triumphant toothy grin which quickly disappeared as soon as the woman before him fell to the floor. Brago, who had turned to walk away noticed and looked down to Sherry's figure. His dark brows furrowed in something unidentifiable as he growled something inaudible. Hiewa's brown eyes widened when he noticed the wounds on Sherry's back.

''Wh-what happened to her?!'' he cried, his eyes painfully reflecting the drying blood on her exposed skin and dress. Brago bent over and effortlessly lifted his partner over his shoulder. She had been acting as if nothing was wrong before...but even if he wanted to tell her not to exert herself, she would have anyways.

''Let's go''

Hiewa was immensely astounded that he was allowing him to follow, but he didn't voice these thoughts for fear that he would change his mind.

Sherry's eyes fluttered open, her gold ringlet's bouncing about her as Brago walked, the blue under her lashes seeming to glow in the dark of evening. Her arms hung loosely down his back and her pride didn't seem to protest that she was being carried by the most arrogant man she had ever known. She smiled as she noticed the boy's baffled expression as he followed them. ''Thank you Heiwa'' she whispered softly.

''Be quiet, woman. If you don't try to rest and recover, I'm going to finish you off myself''

The threat from the mamodo carrying her only broadened her weak smile. She felt the blackness that she had recently escaped from return. This time, for the sake of _Brago_...she would not fight its hold over her. Lashes drooping, she shivered.

''Yeah...ye...ah...''

Brago sighed. His body was tired from three different factors. And his mind. During the journey back, he had to carry both Sherry and the small urchin child that he had found when he fell asleep.

The weight would not have usually affected him in the way that it did, but his body had been weary to begin with. Absorbing the cool air of the air conditioned room, the mamodo laid his golden haired partner on one mattress and the boy Hiewa on the other. Before he took to the lounge chair to rest, he mended Sherry's wounds to the best of his ability with the kit she always carried with her on long trips.

He would never admit it to her, but he was actually thankful then for those stupid lessons she made him endure in first aid. Satisfied with his work and not bothering to replace her dress, he threw the blankets over his two room mates and immediately fell asleep.

xxxx

When Sherry awoke, she blinked her eyes a few times to get them adjusted to the bright light assaulting the side of her face. Frowning, she sat up and gingerly massaged the back of her neck.

The exposure of the warm rays leaking through her window on her skin lead her to cast her eyes down to her person. Sure enough, the top of her dress had been ripped cleanly off, and in its place were tightly wrapped bandages. It was upon this discovery that she remembered her injury from the day before.

She rubbed her eyes in an attempt to remove the sleep from them. Brago must have tended to her when she lost consciousness. He was a good learner even though there was no end to his complaints when she had taught him first aid. Letting her feet fall to the floor, she decided that she'd wash up and dress before waking up Brago. She let her eyes wander to the bad where Hiewa must have slept in the night before.

He wasn't there.

Startled, she looked over to Brago and nearly fell over. The missing boy stood before the sleeping dark mamodo with his bed sheet draped around his slender shoulders, clutching his pillow with one hand and holding a glass of water with the other. Acting on a reflex, she dashed over and grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him back. All of the following events after that seemed to occur in slow motion.

Hiewa let out a startled cry, waking up an irritated Brago as he got his foot tangled in the sheet around him. He tripped and waved his arms madly as he instinctively tried to regain his balance. The water from the glass sprang to life, flying out from its barrier and spilling over a startled Brago. Heiwa landed in a heap at his feet. The glass joined him and shattered, though the sound of it breaking was not heard.

An extremely nervous chuckle unknowingly escaped her as she unconsciously gripped the coffee table for support. _Kami…_

Her hand flew to her forehead as she felt a sudden headache attack her. Oh no...

There was silence.

Hiewa decided to act first and crawled towards Sherry, allowing Brago to get up from his seat. His clawed hand clutched his head as he swayed, unable to keep steady on his feet. The dizziness returned to him full force beyond anything he ever felt before, sending the entire room spinning uncontrollably. He groaned in pain, something he wasn't accustomed to. Hiewa looked up at him in concern.

''Brago...?''

He fell to his knees holding on to the arm of the chair as he went down. Heiwa stood up and leaned over him alarmed. Brago's face was scrunched up in anguish and his vibrate red irises were dilated and cloudy. ''Brago? What's the matter?!'' Hiewa cried, brown eyes full of concern, unable to stop from thinking that he was at fault for Brago's suffering somehow…

Sherry stood frozen in place, her hand still resting on her forehead. For the first time in her life, Sherry did not know what to do. Her mind was completely blank. All she could see was Brago, there on the floor cringing and groaning, something that occurred only once in that one battle, and it was definitely not as bad as this. Brago slowly looked up to her face, his crimson eyes meeting her cerulean ones.

Nani...?

The look that he gave her made her stop, her breath catching in her throat. His crimson eyes were like magma cesspools that burned into hers with a passion she had never seen in them before…ever. .

Sherry felt her heart quicken, beating crazily against her ribcage and she didn't know why. And worse, she couldn't understand for the life o f her why she couldn't form a single word on her lips. Before she could even decently react, Brago fell over in Hiewa's lap.

* * *

**A/N:** Wow. I think this is like the sixth time I edited this since I first wrote it XD Don't worry, if your rereading this or reading it for the first time, I'm working on a update too :D


	4. Enslavement

Change in Seasons

Crystaldaggerz

Chapter Four

**A/N:** Hello everyone!

* * *

''Sherry, he'll be okay won't he?''

Sherry parted her lips to speak but closed them. She watched silently as Brago slept in the bed his pale skin even paler and moist with fever. She dabbed his face with a cool wet towel and returned it to the bowl sitting on the nightstand beside her before wringing it out again.

Her mind was scrambled with all sorts of crazy thoughts and her heart had not ceased in racing madly in her chest. She watched him cringe once more in his sleep and she dabbed his forehead. Despite all of her uneasiness, she wanted him to wake up. She didn't even know why she was so out of order. He wasn't himself when he had looked at her like that. And he wouldn't be until they found a cure…now that Hiewa had accidently activated the potion. She sighed tiredly.

''Sherry...''

This time she turned to look at the small face leaning in over Brago. He was standing at the edge of the bed, his features revealing a mixture of both worry and fascination. He did not understand why Brago had fainted when he was drenched with water, but he felt guilty nevertheless. He was the one who had done it after all.

Dark eyes fastened on the dark mamodo's face, he knotted his brows together in concentration, the deep lines that formed as a result looking alien on the boy's usual serene face. Sherry let the towel rest upon her partner's forehead and stifled a yawn. As much as she hated to...all she could do now was wait...

Deciding that waiting at his be side would be a complete waste of time, she turned to Hiewa to ask if he was ready for breakfast. His face lit up and he laughed charmingly, though not because of the announcement of food.

He crawled unto the bed until he was on top of Brago. Sherry nearly fell over. What in the world was that child thinking?

''Hiewa! Get off of him, that's not such-''

''Brago! Wake up! Wake up! Don't be a baby, I saw you blink!''

Sherry moved to grab the boy but had reacted too late. Brago had already awakened and sat up, giving Hiewa a fierce glare. He was obviously not too pleased with the hyper active boy's antics. He made an attempt to push him off like an annoying insect, but Hiewa managed to keep his balance on top of him. The annoyed mamodo narrowed his eyes into mere crimson slits. ''What the hell are you doing foo-''

Hiewa's earlier shyness and fear of Brago seemed to be thrown out of the window. Before Brago could complete his sentence, the little boy threw his arms around the startled Brago's neck laughing gaily as he did so. This time Sherry did fall over. ''Don't worry Brago, you're still cool to me even though you fainted like a girl'' Hiewa responded cheerfully.

While Hiewa's expression was cheery and benevolent, Brago's was that of an enraged psychopath. He looked homicidal. ''Get off m--''

Again before he could finish Hiewa interrupted him. Though this time not with words, but by leaning over him to retrieve something from the night stand beside the bed. He picked it up and held it out for him to take. Hiewa gave another friendly smile.

''I know you didn't drink any last time 'cuz it fell so I fixed you another glass!''

Brago froze, his red eyes fixed on the glass as if it was a malevolent demon from hell. By this time Sherry recovered and immediately came between them to retrieve the glass from Hiewa. Ever so carefully, she pried it from his grasp and placed it on the floor under the bed. If it spilled, it would do no harm.

She leaned over the two again to speak to Hiewa as she lifted him from the bed and onto the floor.

He looked both thrilled and confused, the result giving him a look that she was quite certain she saw a puppy give her once.

''Why did you do that Sherry? I wanted to give him water...''

Sherry smile nervously as she looked from him to Brago. This was most definitely going to be a long day.

''He...he can't have any Hiewa...''

''Why?''

She thought for a moment. How in the world was she going to explain Brago's condition to this boy? Tell him that water would turn him into a lustful love struck slave of who ever gave him the potion created by the perverted potion maker Koi?

''He's—''

''I'm allergic''

Sherry looked over to him. He was now sitting at the edge of the bed his hand clutching his head and his feet dangling over the carpeted floor. His head was bowed, but she could tell by the tone of his voice that he was still in some sort of pain.

Hiewa blinked a few times in question before turning his head to Brago. ''Allergic to water? Nani?''

It took some gathering of courage, but she managed to force herself to move over to his side and lift his chin up, allowing her to place the back of her hand on his forehead. The heat from his skin was fierce and she furrowed her brows in concern. ''Brago, you're still burning up, you need to lie down!''

His response was a low cold growl. He slapped her hand away and stood shakily to his feet.

''I'm fine Sherry, just…just listen carefully: The boy is only present so that he can lead us to that mamodo that ran from us in our last battle. Why do you think I allowed him to stay? A fever is not going to stop me, I'm not _human_'' he growled, spitting out the word "human" with enormous distaste.

With that said, he made his way into the bathroom wobbly at first, but more steadily as he got closer to his destination. Hiewa put his hands on his hips and shook his head comically. ''_He's_ grumpy. And why is he even in the bathroom if he can't bathe or wash his hands?''

Sherry looked at her hand still warm from the heat of his moist skin. Normally she would have become enraged at his little "speech", but she expected him to be more then a little cross now that the potion was affecting him. She had never felt so helpless before when it came to her partner and she didn't know what to do.

What was running through that man's mind?

''Damn!''

Brago cursed out loud, barely resisting the urge to punch a hole in the wall.

''_Damndamndamn_!''

Taking a deep shaky breath, he leaned over the sink, hands resting on both sides. He glared ferociously at his reflection, frustrated far more than he had ever been before in his entire life. What the hell was wrong with him? Could he not control any of his thoughts now? If that damn fool Hiewa hadn't spilled that water...why the hell was this happening to him?!

When Sherry had come over to check on him, when she had touched him, God he hated himself for those thoughts...he had wanted nothing more than to grab her and kiss those soft pink lips of hers. Since when did they look so freaking…and when in the **hell** did he start thinking like _that_?!

And the worst part was that all of the pain that he had been feeling, all of the dizziness, seemed to disappear for that small moment when he thought about kissing her senseless. He could still remember the scent of her, lavender, invading and taking over all of his reasonable senses. And her warm breath on his face...

''_Damn_!'' he cursed again feeling the proverbial agony return as he tried to stop those thoughts from further entering and controlling his mind. This was wrong. He was not supposed to be thinking such things about his partner, a human, about _Sherry_!

He took deep slow breaths. He needed to clear his head. A clouded mind in the mist of battle will not bode well for him, the outcome would most likely, even with his power, end in defeat. The same applied for this situation.

The dizzying pain was still present throughout him, but it was a small price to pay for the alternative. He would rather feel like his head was going to split in two then to have it full of her... just her. Though in all honesty, he would rather just feel her...

Damn!

He gave another growl in irritation. Damn that potion to the seven gates of hell! Was this going to happen all of the freaking time? What kind of mamodo king couldn't even keep control of their own thoughts?!

_You don't need potion to admit that Sherry is taking effect on you._

He froze.

Great. Now he was hearing voices too.

''**Shut** **up'**' he growled heatedly to technically no one in particular. His reflection smiled at him.

_You have hormones too, you know._

Brago cursed once more and ignored the grin mocking him from the mirror. If he was going to clear his mind it wasn't going to be in here. Although he hated to admit it, he was going to have to deal with this until he squeezed a cure from that horny bastard Takashi Koi. In the meantime he'd have to find a way to be in control...

_A cure for what? These feelings aren't curable you fool._

Sighing, the dark mamodo splashed his face with cold water and stalked out of the bathroom and into the empty room.

Waiting for him at the front of the building was both Sherry and Hiewa. Hiewa was trying to keep his balance on a line of logs running along the sidewalk for decoration. Sherry was in front of him, arms crossed and sapphire eyes narrowed as she looked off in space thinking intensely on something. She had changed from her tattered purple dress and was now wearing a ruffled green one. When she looked up at the sound of the metal doors closing and found Brago, she laughed nervously. ''You were in there for quite a long time Brago...are you alright?''

Brago gave her a ferocious glare and ferociously squashed down the feeling of joy that erupted in him at the sight of her.

_You see? You're happy just to see her! How cute..._

He snarled and balled his hand into a tight fist. _It's just the potion_...he told himself fiercely._ Just the potion._

''Brago was doing number two! That's why he took so long!'' Hiewa said aloud looking behind himself smiling. He pointed an accusing finger at Brago's aggravated expression. ''You went poo!''

Then, he got a revelation. "Eeeew. You didn't wash your hands!"

Successfully suppressing the urge to hit him hard on the head, Brago instead walked over to where Hiewa was playing and lifted him off his feet by picking him up by the back of his collar. The mamodo held the boy away from his body in a way as to avoid his frantic kicks.

Sherry glared at her partner blue eyes flashing with disapproval. ''Set him down! What in the world is wrong with you?''

Brago did not turn to look at her. Instead, he gave Hiewa a coy look. ''To begin with, I think you know perfectly well what's wrong with me Sherry'' he answered coolly. Sherry quickly looked away.

''Before we get this boy to lead us to those mamodo from before, I need to speak with that old man about the cure, which we will do now, regardless of what you might have against it'' Fuck waiting. He was going to collect the cure _today._

This time he did turn his head to look at her sending a cold chill down her spine. _What's with that look?_ she thought weakly. It's been a while since he looked at her like that.

''Put me down! No fair!'' Hiewa finally ceased his struggle when he accepted the fact he was going no where like that. He contented himself with sticking his tongue out at Brago. Satisfied, the boy crossed his arms in defeat. ''Big headed meanie...'' he mumbled sulkily. Brago gave him a look none too friendly.

''I will no longer restrain myself from you if you continue to act ignorant'' he hissed, his tone of voice colder than frost. Hiewa gulped. With that said, Brago released him.

Sherry went over to the two of them and took Hiewa's hand in hers avoiding looking directly at Brago. He was behaving ignorant himself, even if it was the potion...she couldn't stand it and she would not have anything to do with him until he tried to get his act together.

Without a word, she followed Brago holding on tightly to Hiewa's hand. For him, the entire way back to the diner was extremely awkward. He could feel the tension, like a thick choking cloud.

Sherry was angry. Partially because Brago was behaving so much like an asshole, and partially because she really couldn't do anything about it.

Brago was usually impatient, but he was a strong man. He could take a whole lot before he actually acted. However, his mind was in overdrive and the fact that the potion was driving him crazy did not help matters.

His glare did not leave his face nor did his knotted brows relax. His gaze was fastened to the sidewalk, not daring to look up to see Sherry walking there before him. He was battling thoughts of her which was filling his mind like water in a glass. He could feel her presence there and not looking at her wasn't helping him in the slightest; for one he could still smell her. He had never hated his acute sense of smell, but he did right then. And then there was that voice in his head…

His plan was to continue upsetting her. If he could just keep her hating him and avoiding him, he wouldn't have to worry about battling his thoughts and doing something incredibly stupid later.

_You know you'll get gray hair trying to stop thinking about her Brago. _

**Shut up**

_Hey now! I'm just trying to help you out! If it makes you feel any better, it's normal for a man to have explicit thoughts of a beautiful woman. Or more then one. But in your case, I'll say that's pushing it…_

**Shut up!**

_Don't be so snippy._ You're _the_ _one having these thoughts, not me_

Similar arguments as this did not help in making Brago calm down; in fact, it did the exact opposite. He was tense and beyond himself with resentment, arguing with himself in a way that some would have described as ''insane''. By the time the group made it to Takahashi's Diner, both Sherry and Brago were emotionally drained. Hiewa, who had tired of trying to spark up conversation between them was elated to have finally made it to their destination. Laughing, he ran inside.

Sherry gave an exasperated sigh and followed him in. To her surprise, the diner was especially empty and clean—in such a way that it scared her. Hiewa was already in the back speaking animatedly to someone. The other speaker's face was obscured by the leaves of a potted synthetic plant, but she was able to recognize the man almost immediately.

''Koi san!'' she cried happily, the cure on her mind.

She rushed over to him. He smiled at her and took her hand immediately, his bald head almost blinding her. It seemed to be trying to outshine the rest of the small diner's polished furniture. Sherry looked deeply confused as he kissed her hand.

''Darling, my heart rejoices in being in you're glorious presence. I hope now that our love can escalate to the heavens without the aid of blasted potions and the butting in of that wretched creature that travels with you"

Sherry blinked her eyes a few times incomprehensively. Before she could reply and snatch her hand away, Brago was beside her. He knocked Koi's hand away in pure disgust. She hadn't heard him move at all.

''That _wretched creature_ is here to collect that cure'' he growled icily. Sherry stepped back, giving them both room.

_Could he possibly be jealous?_ She thought wonderingly. The thought was foreign yet amusing—Brago getting jealous of an elderly man and over her besides…even though it was the potion causing him to act like that. She didn't know exactly how that made her feel, but her partner's reaction was definitely amusing

Koi burst into a fit of nervous laughter and patted Brago on the shoulder as if the two were old friends. ''Ha ha! Funny thing about that, you see what had happened was...''

Sherry quickly caught Hiewa's attention and gestured him to come over and stand next to her... this didn't appear as if it would bode well.

Brago grabbed him by his shirt front in a blink of an eye and gave him an immensely intolerant look. The events of their last encounter came flooding back into the older man's mind. He raised his hands up in defense. ''I have it, I have it! I was just joking! Just come follow me'' he responded nervously. _Geez, _he thought. _Just _no_ sense of humor, huh?_

With a grunt Brago reluctantly released him, his eyes still coldly fastened onto his moist face. Koi straightened himself out and turned away from the intensity of his stare.

''Follow me'' he said.

He quietly obeyed and left both Sherry and Hiewa who stayed behind, and followed him to the very back of the diner to what appeared to be his office. Not surprising was the fact that it was crowded and junky when Koi unlocked and opened the door allowing them entrance.

Papers, notes and folders obscured the surface of the desks which they were carelessly strewn on. The chairs that weren't covered with clothes and boxes lied in pieces on the floor. The elderly man led him to a table littered with bottles and jars, some filled with bizarre liquids in appearance. He expertly stepped about and avoided crushing anything as he stepped over the scattered odds and ends on the floor with great skill, clearing a path for them as he walked.

Turning on a small table lamp resting on the corner of his desk, he finally turned to face Brago, the light illuminating the rare serious expression on his face.

For one of the few occasions in his life, Brago was taken aback. If even this loony crazed elderly man was serious, his news would not be at all appealing. Barely able to push thoughts of doubt aside, he swallowed and cleared his throat.

''Well?''

Koi sighed and pulled out a file stuffed with paper from a drawer in his desk and sat it down.

''Well…I don't I can find a cure...'' he whispered.

Brago froze. An image of Sherry leaked into his mind despite of his concentration to keep thoughts of her at bay.

''What do you mean?'' He tried to control his anger without much success. There had to be a cure! "You said you had a cure"

Koi leafed through one of his plethora of notebooks as he spoke. ''I have been made aware of the mistakes in that potion...I'm not sure how, when I had made sure to look over everything'' he hit the pile of papers before him in emphasis. ''The only way that it would stop working now is if it wore out completely, which I sincerely doubt''

He paused and looked up to observe how the younger man was taking this. He looked completely and utterly enraged. He was gripping the table hard—so hard in fact, that the edge of it was breaking and the wood splintering. Coughing fearfully, the older man continued. He hated to do this though...

''I can look over these notes once more and try to make another potion—minus the mistakes. And with opposite effects and for free of course''

He looked in the corner of his eye to see what he thought of this. His red eyes were cast down, but he nodded slightly. He wasn't sure, but he thought he saw a look of hope in them. Hope and doubt.

''I will return old man'' he answered simply.

No threats.

No glares of hatred.

Koi didn't escort him out, he was not going to try his luck and see if the man would stay as calm as he had been. Instead, he waited patiently for him to exit his small crowded office before he sat down in a wooden seat after brushing off its contents to the floor.

He bent over his desk and continued leafing through the notes he had taken, his eyes quickly scanning up and down the pages. He to have made a mistake that would somehow help him out somehow right now. He felt incredibly guilty for what he had done...though he hated to admit it now, he shouldn't have made the dreaded potion to begin with.

Reaching for a glass of water, he noticed something he hadn't before. He searched through his book of spells stationed at his desk in which he had found the love potion. The elderly man frantically flew through the many yellow crinkled pages until he located the page that had caused all of the past unfortunate things to occur.

''Oh my...''

* * *

**A/N:** Review please :D


	5. Effects

Change in Seasons

Chapter Five

Crystaldaggerz

* * *

Outside, Hiewa was waiting at Sherry's side watching Brago exit the diner with quiet anticipation. Sherry also turned to look at the dark mamodo, and to her dismay he did not look at her.

_Why is he ignoring me?_ she thought irritably. It seemed the only time he would look at her now was to say a snide and bitter remark. If this was supposed to be love potion, she didn't even _want_ to see one that caused sour emotions instead.

He walked right past her to face the little boy not once acknowledging her presence or the bitter look she was giving him. Hiewa didn't seem to notice the behavior of either, and spoke the words on his mind since they had left the hotel.

Crossing his arms, he lifted his chin and looked Brago right into his crimson eyes, chocolate meeting vibrant red.

''I'm ready!''

Brago snorted at his peculiar attitude and raised his brow. ''Oh really? And just how do you plan on showing me to these mamodo?''

Sherry frowned to herself upon hearing him say 'me' so curtly. Last time she had checked, they were partners. He could usually defeat mamodo by himself, but this time, he would need his spells. And she was quite positive he couldn't read his own spells. Taking a small calming breath, she waited for Hiewa to answer the question she had been wondering herself. How was he going to lead them to Frey and Charlotte?

Hiewa dug into the pocket of his brown baggy pants and pulled out a watch. Sherry peered down at the small item resting in his small palm and noticed almost immediately that there was only one hand on the watch and no numbers at all. Sherry looked at Hiewa in puzzlement. ''This is just a broken watch...''

Hiewa shook his head vigorously beaming all the while, pleased and amused with her lack of knowledge. He shook his finger at her as he would a disobedient puppy.

''This is something Charlotte made for me so that I would always know where she is. The big hand points to her. It waaaaas a broken watch though''

Brago folded his arms to his chest. ''Where are they?''

Hiewa fastened the watch to his wrist and then raised it in the air, looking at its face with intense concentration, both his brows furrowed against his dark determined eyes. Sherry smiled despite herself. This little boy was something else.

Finally he looked up and pointed east. Brago and Sherry looked to that direction.

''So what are we going to do now? Keep walking until we come across them? We don't know how far they are...'' she paused in thought and sighed. ''But that wouldn't matter would it?'' She faced Brago who was still looking east, all in that direction under a frozen crimson gaze. Sherry sighed and gave him a weak smile. If Brago was not going to not act sociable, she would have to.

''You know Brago...'' she said softly, putting her hand on his shoulder. ''I'm ready when you are''

Brago roughly shrugged her hand away and turned around to grab Hiewa's wrist. Sherry followed silently, not wanting to speak until she was able to calm herself down. How often was it now that she was reminded he despised her touch? Hiewa was nervous although his wish was finally coming true; he could feel the tension in the air like a dark aura between Sherry and the scary person Brago.

''Hey!'' he protested as he struggled to free himself. Brago stopped in his tracks, completely surprising Hiewa. He turned to Sherry who stopped also to hear what he had to say. ''I'm going alone. I don't need you''

Sherry blinked, baffled at his icy words—they stung her. She didn't understand why she was actually fighting down the urge to cry. All he had done was spit at her like a livid cobra since he became influenced by the potion. He hadn't been that way with her in so long! He had actually gotten quite likeable. She hated herself for becoming so disturbed so easily, and hated him more for treating her like an unwanted nuisance now. Without waiting for a reply, he turned and continued to walk off.

Wasting no time to even think, she ran after him and spun around so that she stopped in front of the stressed dark mamodo, successfully blocking his path. Hiewa looked elated to see her, but it did not last long. His face twisted up in pain. ''Sherry! Tell him to let me go!'' he whined as he tried to uncurl Brago's fingers from his death hold on his wrist.

Sherry didn't have to say anything, because Brago released the boy on his own accord. Hiewa quickly moved from him to hide behind her, his hand against her back. He stuck out his tongue at Brago in defiance.

Sherry put her hands on her hips in sheer rage. ''I think you may have forgotten this Brago but we are a team. You can't run off to fight by yourself and when you know you can't handle it! And then leave me behind and expect me to keep quiet and still!''

Brago clenched his fists. He had not expected her to do neither; he knew she'd never sit quiet, but he was not going to have her join him either. He couldn't have her around, and he didn't need her getting injured again.

He glowered violently at her. She didn't flinch, but waited sternly for his reply. ''You need to stay here. I am quite capable of handling this by myself'' he hissed between clenched teeth.

Sherry took a breath to calm herself. Infuriated, she cut her sapphire eyes at his ruby ones, trying her best for Hiewa's sake to keep her temper under some kind of control. ''Listen. I. Am. Your. Partner. I'm in these battles too, for Koko sake _and_ yours. You can't expect me to stay here, so please do not argue with me''

Her words were calm and quiet, but in no way lacking ferocity. Brago studied her for a minute before pushing past her. This time, he didn't make a grab for Hiewa which Sherry took for a good sign. Sighing in aggravation, she gently took the perplexed boy's hand and followed.

For the next few hours as they followed Hiewa's lead, neither Brago nor Sherry said one word to the other. Sherry only spoke to answer Hiewa's plethora of questions. What she didn't know was that they were Heiwa's futile attempts at starting up a conversation between her and Brago.

By nightfall, the three had changed directions numerous times. Currently, the needle resting on the face of the little watch pointed north. Sherry had informed Brago that they would go to her mansion and pack to leave from the airport earlier. She had also told Hiewa that they had probably left the country on pursue of someone, or to return home. Brago didn't protest.

When they arrived at Sherry's mansion, Hiewa had given a squeal of delight. Sherry's home looked just like the castle's he saw in picture books! When Sherry had told him she lived in a mansion, she had answered a great deal of questions from the little boy who wanted to know everything he could about her fancy and expensive way of living in that exact moment. She had answered them all patiently.

Now that he was here, Hiewa was similar to a little ball of energy as he jumped about, played around and marveled at the mansion's likeness to a 'magical palace'. It was nice to see him like this, so unlike the quiet shy boy they had first met. Albert watched the little boy with a small smile on his thin lips and like his master, was extremely patient with him. Yet he quickly became concerned whenever he came across his Master Sherry and her companion and their curious behavior.

He could understand why she was tired, but he could sense her frustration and dimming anger.

Brago who had seemed upset (he couldn't really tell) had stepped outside onto the balcony as soon as he had walked through the front doors, and he took that opportunity to pull Sherry aside.

Sherry sighed softly and gave her butler a tired smile. ''What is it Albert?'' she asked. He looked awfully concerned about something and knowing Albert, it was because he knew that she was upset.

''If you don't mind me asking, what is the matter Master Sherry?''

She sighed and looked away. ''It's nothing really. Just an argument from before, it'll sort it's self out in the morning.'' She said, adding a tired yawn for effect. Albert raised his brow in question but didn't press the matter any further. If she was over it, then everything would be alright later. The two of them would calm down and eventually forget about whatever spat they had on their way here. He watched her go and looked again to the staircase that Brago had climbed to reach the balcony. He hoped so at least.

Sherry entered her master bathroom with relaxation on her mind. Sitting down on the seat of the toilet, she took of her boots and massaged her sore feet.

Actually, her entire body was sore from her exertion. She wanted to stop and take a rest on many occasions on their journey here, but she refused—she was not going to please him and show him her "weak" human side. But now she would have to suffer the consequences of her stubbornness though she didn't regret it.

She undressed slowly, endeavoring to lessen the pain she felt though she occasionally winced from the throbbing of her old wounds. Turning the knob for the warm water, she watched the water quickly fill the tub as she poured a generous amount of floral bubble bath into the rising water.

When she was satisfied with the amount of water in the tub, she turned the faucet off and slid into the warm soapy water. Closing her eyes, she tried to push all of her troubling thoughts to the depths of her mind so that she could relax further. But no matter how hard she tried or how many times; even when she tried to think of other far more important matters, they came bubbling back to the surface, thoughts of today, of him.

She held the side of the tub and massaged her temple in calm irritation with her free hand. Why did he have to be such a jerk? She knew that someone...like him, had trouble expressing their true emotions to the point where you could think of them as cold, so he must be a little wrung because of the potion. She dipped her finger in the water and made little circles on its surface, creating a tiny whirlpool.

But did he really need to act so _impossible_?! She had seen rabid dogs with far more charm. He was not the only one being effected by the old man's stupid actions, wasn't she the prime target of his attacks.

Brago didn't know that she felt nervous just to be by him when he was so unpredictable; she wanted to wring something too, but she didn't.

She sighed tiredly and stared at the suds clinging to her. What did that inarticulate insufferable man think about her now...? Not that she wanted to know. Whatever was on his mind weren't his own thoughts anymore anyway.

''Sherry hurry up!''

Hiewa's high-pitched voice brought her out of her thoughts. After another minute of soaking in the warm water, she slowly sat up and looked over to the antique brass clock on the wall before her. It read 12:05 pm. She must have been there for almost an hour! All she had meant to do was soak.

''Sherry!''

She gave a low growl. Couldn't Albert direct him to another bathroom? There was definitely more than one in her mansion! Sighing heavily she grudgingly climbed out, shivering as her wet skin was met with the frosty hands of the cold air.

As quickly as possible, she dried off with her towel and dressed into a simple thin nightgown one of her maids had set out earlier. When she opened the door after draining the tub, Hiewa was there standing in the doorway giving her an accusing look with his large coffee eyes. His arms were firmly folded against his chest and his cheeks bared evidence that he had been crying.

''I need to use the bathroom Sherry'' he whined.

Sherry didn't want to postpone his apparent ''emergency'', but she asked him anyway to feed her curiosity.

''Couldn't you ask Albert to take you to another bathroom?''

He cast his eyes down in shame and shoved his hands deep in his pockets. ''Well I did...but the hallways were too scary'' His voice was small and she had to listen hard to hear, but she had to smile at his response.

It was dark in the hallways at this time of night and she could recall having a lot of statues of things that could scare a little girl or boy.

She stepped aside to let him pass and she closed the door for him. One of her goals was now accomplished. She was half starved too, but she didn't have the energy to fix nor eat anything at the present so she set off to her room.

She felt a sense of familiarity when she approached it; she hadn't been there for such a long time. She was always fighting some mamodo battle with Brago somewhere. When she did come here, it was only for a brief moment to refuel on supplies.

Opening the door, she was greeted with darkness. She quickly solved that problem by flicking on the light switch, brightening her entire room. She looked around, observing her quarters. Her mirror was still set on her dresser clean from Albert's tidying; her small television and her desk was still against her wall, neat and organized due to her absence; and there was her bed, so inviting.

She plopped onto it, enjoying how she bounced because of its springs, something she was unable to have in the diminutive bed in her hotel room. Grabbing her pillow, she allowed her head to sink down and silently enjoyed the opulence of everything. She felt calm, clean, cool and comfortable; all she needed now was to get a restful sleep.

Closing her eyes, she had good intent on falling asleep and dreaming beautiful trouble free dreams. But she found that particular deed really really difficult. Irritated, she turned around into a better position, but she was met with the same problem. She turned back around and nearly cried out in surprise.

The cause of all her stress stood there with an irritated glare fastened to her in her doorway. Sherry looked away from his freezing ruby eyes and sat up to speak. ''What are you doing here?'' she asked and immediately closed her mouth afterward. She had forgotten.

Sighing, she scooted over and laid back down.

When she had settled down, she felt him sit at the very edge of the bed after setting down his spell book on the bed at her feet. She leaned over to pick it up and sat back against her pillow. Unable to resist, she snuck a look at the quiet dark mamodo before her. He was turned away from her with his legs crossed on the bed and his arms folded against his chest. His eyes were closed.

At least he wasn't avoiding her anymore.

Sitting up and propping her knees against her chest, she opened the book and leaned back against the head board. The old smell and the strange mamodo symbols greeted her from the familiar yellow pages. Slowly turning them, she counted the number of spells that they had learned although she already knew the answer. Four spells.

Squinting her eyes, she tried to make sense of the other spell, which she hadn't been able to read yet. But despite her squinting, the letters remained the same, strange, foreign and incomprehensible as it had always been.

She slowly ran her forefingers down the old pale page in thought. Running her finger up again, she slowly traced the colorful lines of the fascinating symbols of the spell at awe of the mystery surrounding the book and the mamodo who never spoke of his past back in his world. Sherry sighed. She would be able to read it... one day.

''Stop''

The blonde looked up from the black spell book in her hands to Brago whose eyes met her own—ruby and sapphire. Sherry blinked her eyes in confusion at the cold fury she saw flashing there.

''Excuse me?'' she asked. It seemed as if he was just itching to start a fight with her nowadays. But she didn't understand. If he was still feeling ill towards her, why come into her bedroom? Brago's eyes became mere slits.

''I can feel that''

Her fingers stopped upon the page as she finally began to comprehend what he was telling her. She laughed nervously for what appeared to be the hundredth time that day and quickly turned her head to hide the blush she felt staining her cheeks. ''Um...sorry...''

Sherry sat the book on the night stand at the side of her bed and propped by her head on the pillow again, trying hard to hide her embarrassment. Brago continued to sit in the corner of the end of the bed turned away from her. At least he didn't leave the room...

All was quiet once again and not the usual quiet that would be between them when they sat like this, but a uncomfortable one. Sherry drummed her fingers on her knee to calm her bad nerves.

There was no way she still felt like sleeping now. It was just too…tense. Before life began torturing her partner and herself, it was never like that, and the fact it was different now was simply maddening.

Looking to her French window, she noticed for the first time that it was opened, and the moonlight shone through illuminating her green curtains and Brago's dark figure.

She looked back at the dark spell book and reached over to pick it up again to lay it on her lap, though she didn't open it. She just felt more comfortable to have some sort of contact with it.

''Brago, I tried to ask you something when we were at the diner. Do you remember what that was?'' she asked, breaking the unbearable silence.

He didn't answer but she continued anyway. Damn if she wasn't going to try to act civil.

''I asked you what kind of king you were going to be'' she said softly. She waited for his reply, but for a while he didn't answer her. Sherry began to think that he wasn't even going to, but he proved her wrong. He had just given it some serious thought.

''I will be a powerful king. No one will challenge me or be able to defeat me'' He answered simply before falling silent again as he envisioned the day that he would rule over the mamodo world as their king.

''But...I will be fair and have the trust of all my people'' This particular response surprised Sherry, but only for a moment. He had changed a lot since the first time they met. His answer before, if he even chose to answer her, would had been different. He probably wouldn't have cared about what anyone would have thought of him, and ruled with a cold iron fist, but now his resolve was to be a strict but kind king.

He didn't say anything after that. Sherry sighed and set the book under her pillow. It was something of a habit she had, and she could see herself that she had gotten extremely protective of the book. The tension seemed to have finally left the room in its horrible black cloud—it would probably be one of the few times she would feel at peace with Brago, now that he was under the influence of the potion.

''Sherry?''

''Hm...?

She heard a flicker as the television in her room was turned on, adding a bright glow to the room. Sherry looked up puzzled to see Brago with the remote pushing random buttons. It appeared as if he was actually stabbing the poor device with his clawed fingers, and Sherry crawled over to him.

''This thing is broken'' he muttered bitterly, eyeing it accusingly as he continued to stab at the plastic buttons.

Sherry stifled a snicker, glad at some sort of familiarity between them. ''What are you trying to do?'' she asked, trying to keep the amusement out of her voice.

His brows were knotted together in frustration as he studied the remote oddly. ''I want to see what's on''

His clawed finger made contact with the volume button and Sherry screeched at the earsplitting sound of a woman screaming in a horror film at max volume. On the screen, a blonde woman was getting mutilated by a deranged but not unattractive vampire, her blood staining the grass. Sherry hesitantly took the remote from him and quickly pressed the 'off' button.

She gave him a look that a mother would give an overly curious child, her eyes bright and a small smile slowly playing on her lips. ''It's late. You should be trying to rest. We're going to need all of our energy when we go looking for the mamodo tomorrow'' She carefully tossed the remote at the end of the bed.

''You'll be staying here'' he murmured quietly.

Sherry looked back at him with a shocked expression on her face. ''Excuse me?''

His expression did not change from its current stubborn state. ''You will remain here as I take the boy with me. I don't need you to defeat them''

Sherry glared and pointed her finger at him. She couldn't believe he was still trying to leave her again like before. She had thought they had reached some sort of understanding earlier, but she guessed she was wrong. Didn't this man get the picture?

''I don't think you get it. I'm coming with you whether you like it or not''

''I don't think you understand that you are not coming with me''

Sherry threw her arms up in exasperation. ''Why do you have to be so _difficult_?! You can't handle this all by yourself!''

Brago cut his eyes at her, the crimson orbs full of impatience now and malice, saying that he indeed could.

''Whether or not you think I can does not matter, you're remaining here''

''_Why_?!'' she shouted angrily. Her temper was flaring at the present moment, and only a few moments ago she had been calm. Leave it to Brago to disturb the peace.

He didn't answer her, adding to her already growing fuel. She would have liked nothing more than to rip out his throat and strangle him with it at that moment.

''Why?!''

No answer.

''Didn't you hear me? _Why_, Brago?! And by God, if you don't answer me—"

''I can't have you getting hurt!'' he angrily snapped back, glaring daggers at the blonde woman for making him admit something he couldn't understand for himself.

There was an emotion searing in there that was so foreign and intense that she instantly shut up.

''Excuse me?'' she asked trying once more. _Since when did he…_

Brago suddenly leaned over, closing the space between them and pressed his lips to hers. Sherry's mind instantly went blank. She fell back in surprise, only to fall into Brago's arms.

He laid her on her back and climbed on top of her, all the while roughly demanding entrance into her mouth. Simply a matter of not knowing what else to do, her mind uncharacteristically refusing to throw up any useful ideas, her lips finally parted. His tongue immediately invaded her mouth and firmly explored the new domain as he ran his pointed claws down her stomach, placid enough as to not injure her.

The blonde felt her mind reel and all her strength leave her then. She would never have guessed that she would be in this kind of situation with Brago, who was now kissing her mindlessly, propped on one elbow as he undid the lace on her night gown with his free hand. Just as the thought entered her mind, she finally came crashing down to her senses.

_What the hell..?!_

She mustered some of her strength and put her hands against his chest and made an attempt to push him off, the sensations she was experiencing in her body both frightening and confusing. He was making her feel good damn it, and that was more then enough to make her panic. He was her _partner_!

He looked at her crossly like a small child might, and had this situation been any different, she would have laughed. But before she could do anything at all, he was already fiercely kissing her again, stealing her breath away. Sherry's strength instantly left her again and she found that instead of trying to gather it again, she was wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him back.

He took this as a sign of encouragement and deepened the kiss, battling for dominance and groaning deep in his throat when she finally succumbed to him. He broke the kiss only when he thought her lungs were about to burst.

"Brago…" she managed, panting. Her heart was crashing against her chest and her thoughts so muddled, she couldn't get heads or tails of anything. There was a little voice in her head telling her to stop, to quit while she was ahead, something about a potion or something or the other. But she couldn't even breathe properly, let alone think with Brago making her emotions go all out of whack.

He whispered her name back hotly in her ear, making her shudder and the temperature within her rise. Since when was he so…Sherry felt her face grow even warmer, and was infinitely glad that he couldn't see it.

He left her ear and slowly traveled to her collar bone leaving a slick trail as he tasted the blonde's skin, enjoying the way he felt her tremble beneath him and the rabid pace of her heartbeat as it quickened in her chest. He had never really eaten anything to enjoy its flavor, but at that moment, he decided that his blonde partner was the best thing he had ever tasted

No longer thinking clearly or even trying to, Sherry helped Brago peel away his tight fitting shirt away from his body. She had seen him shirtless on several occasions during training, but she never recalled actually liking what she saw. Not like she did now. There before her was a perfect specimen of a well toned male, and she was suddenly reminded of exactly how powerful the mamodo was.

In awe, she explored his chiseled chest with her fingers, watching the muscles ripple underneath her touch as she traced the few scars that did adorn his body. She leaned her head back when her partner suddenly began assaulting the sensitive flesh in her collar bone. She couldn't help the gasp that escaped her and for some reason, she could feel the bloody bastard smirking against her skin.

Nevertheless, she decided to let him slide since he was making her feel so good. Sighing, she treaded her fingers through Brago's raven locks.

Sherry's scent was so overpowering, sweet and intoxicating as it effortlessly invaded all of his senses—the combined scent of lavender and sweat mingling together filled him to the brim until he was drunk on her. With her touch setting his skin ablaze, those soft hands of hers now clinging roughly his hair, he slowly lost the will to fight against the blazing emotions within him.

_You want this anyway..._

''Brago...? Sherry...?''

Both Sherry stopped dead at the mention of their names. Hiewa stood in the doorway, partially hidden by her open bedroom door. He was peeking around it, unsure whether to come in or not.

''Can I come in?''

Sherry's blush deepened from a warm red to a dark crimson as she sat up immediately when Brago had moved from his position on top of her. ''Hiewa!'' Sherry cried in embarrassment. Brago clenched his head and almost doubled over as the dizziness which always came soon after once again swept over him. Sherry noticed his actions and placed her hand on his shoulder in concern.

He knocked it off and left the room hastily, pushing past Hiewa who was looking at the two wide-eyed.

''Brago...?''

Sherry put her hands to her face. ''Oh God...'' What the hell were they just doing?

Hiewa stood idly by for only a moment more before scampering into the room and climbing unto her bed to sit beside her. Sherry looked away from him and rearranged her gown before forcing a smile in his direction. He seemed somewhat bewildered but he didn't say anything about what he saw and she was thankful for that.

Instead, he looked up to her. ''Can I sleep with you?'' he asked quietly, brown eyes glowing in the dark. Sherry slowly nodded, still in a daze, and laid back down as she brought the cover over Hiewa and herself. She placed the pillow beneath his head and heard him sigh.

''Goodnight Sherry''

She in turn closed her eyes and laid her head down into her own pillow which was quite warm now. An image of herself and Brago appeared in her mind and she bit her lip before pushing it back. For once, she was thankful Hiewa had come in when he did. She didn't know how far they would have gone if he hadn't. Thinking about what that would have entailed, she blushed madly and groaned to as she willed those indecent thoughts away. What in the world had she been thinking?

_I hadn't… _

She sighed heavily as she tried to calm the beating of her heart and forget the response her body had had to Brago.

_Oh Kami…_

* * *

**A/N:** It physically hurts to recheck this, I'm serious XD Of course there's the emotional pain too…Thanks for all your reviews!


	6. Working things out

Change in Seasons

Crystaldaggerz

Chapter Six

* * *

He knew he wasn't the most patient man. It wasn't like he was blind to such an obvious fact, but for these past few days' he had been the personification of patience. Almost. He had waited, as he can see now in vain, for the potion's effects to wear off. It hasn't. He also knew that he should be able to control himself and his actions. Again for these past few day's he hasn't. He was also supposed to be sane...

_I don't understand you, though I should...why in God's name did you leave?!_

Now he stood there on the balcony, freezing and listening to some voice speaking to him from his mind. He was seriously questioning his sanity. ''Who the hell are you?'' he asked gruffly underneath his breath, although he already knew the answer. He had been told.

_Didn't I already tell you? I'm you. Don't change the subject._

He sighed heavily and glared at the tree which stood silent before him. The moonlight which had earlier lit his environment was now hidden by ghostly clouds. The bitter air hungrily nipped at his skin, but he refused to go back inside...not where she was.

_You know you want to finish what you started._

He wanted to strangle that freaking voice in the worst way—but that would mean strangling himself. He was really was losing his sanity if he was even contemplating so ludicrous.

_You would never hurt me, just like you wouldn't hurt Sherry. You would rather do _other_, more _productive_ things, wink wink. I know you would, because _I _know would._

''Shut up'' he growled angrily.

_Temper, temper._

He was angry. The rage was even stronger then the wooziness and misery playing havoc with his mind and body. He knew the potion was powerful, but now he knew how strong it could really be. Especially when he was vainly trying to ignore the feelings he harbored now and controlling all of those urges—to kiss her, to—

But it was the potion. The damn potion that Koi had caused him to drink. His clawed fingers gripped the iron rail until his knuckles turned white. Everything was entirely his fault. If the old pervert was here he'd kill him. Rip him apart and burn the individual pieces. And then kill him.

_Is that even possible?_

Another cold breeze sent a shiver down his spine, again biting at his flesh. But he would not go inside. She was in there. Though she was probably sleeping by now…

_You're just afraid you'll get what you want._

''And just how do you know what I want?'' he growled, no longer caring how inane it was to be speaking to the voice yapping animatedly in his head.

_Because I know what I want, we're the same person remember? Shall I tell what you and I want in vivid detail...?_

Brago angrily pushed back the image of what had happened between him and Sherry as it surfaced. He wasn't able to control himself then. He had only known one thing: Sherry was there and he wanted her...because of the potion. Even _he_ knew that that was half true, but he ignored the thought. Contemplating his feelings towards Sherry wasn't going to get him nowhere. The cold intensified.

_If you had been in that room with Sherry now you wouldn't be cold...heh heh. _

That was it. If he stood out there with this deranged voice any longer, he was going to go stark mad. He did not love Sherry. He did not want Sherry. She was his comrade in battle and she was his...companion. He respected her greatly and always would, considering she was human, but that was all. They were nothing more than good partners.

The dark mamodo climbed on top of the railing of the balcony obtaining perfect balance. The street a little off from the iron gate under his crimson gaze, he began to ponder on a appropriate place he could stay.

He couldn't find a hotel; he didn't know the location of one and even if he could find one, it's not like he would be able to check in. He didn't know how and he didn't care to. No other place came in mind—he would have to deal with the low temperature outside.

With a grunt, he leaped from the rail to a large high branch of the tree he had been looking at earlier. He was hidden by the tree leaves, and they, along with the branches, shielded him from the freezing weather that he had been exposed to for so long.

He wasn't tired but he would need rest for tomorrow. He'd need the energy if they were to travel anything like they did toady. The dark mamodo leaned against the smooth bark of the trunk and closed his eyes. Peace did not last long.

_You should be thinking of what you're going to tell you're lover Sherry._

He cursed silently to himself and did not answer. As far as he was concerned, nothing happened. And why should he care to even think of an explanation for her? Silently threatening the bothersome voice in his head, he tried again to get some sleep.

xxxx

Albert was almost ready to turn in for the night when he heard some maniac banging on his master's front door. He grunted disdainfully. Surely no one in their right mind would be trying to break down someone's door in the middle of the night? He'd be sure to give them a piece of his mind when he got there…

The deeply annoyed butler threw opened the double doors making sure to muster the most menacing and terrifying look that he could at the moment . He glared down at the older man. ''Listen here you mongrel, how dare you—''

The elderly man trampled him as he rushed past to get inside. ''Sorry about that!'' he hollered as he ran aimlessly down the hall. Albert laid there on the ground feeling a mixture of confusion and pure shock. And pain. There was the pain too.

Koi ran up and down the hallway's cursing himself for not asking the man he ran over for directions to Sherry's bedroom. All of the doors looked the same, and the fact that it was dark didn't help the matter either. And how many blasted statues did she have that looked identical?! Ending up in yet another dead end he did the next best thing other than running around blindly in the bloody mansion.

''SHERRY!!''

Sherry lifted her head from her pillow and squinted with bewilderment at the door in the dark. What in the world? She sat up taking care not to wake up Hiewa in the process. But surprise surprise, he woke up not soon after, blinking and muttering something groggily. Hiewa rubbed his eyes and glanced up at the door. He mumbled something again, and Sherry was sure he had said

'What idiot is that screaming?'

She wondered the same thing.

Grumbling to herself, she got out of bed with much effort and slipped her feet into a pair of slippers. Whoever was out there, they had gotten past Albert and were running about in her home. She would have to handle it. Just as she stood up, she heard the sound of someone stomping to her door. Her door was flung open and there stood an elderly man, bald and sweaty and out of breath.

''Koi?'' she asked completely shocked to see him.

His face lit up. ''Sherry! I-''

Albert came out of nowhere and struck Koi on the side of his head with a broomstick. Koi's shock expression turned to a look of mental impairment as he fell. Albert snorted as he dropped the broomstick to the ground and fixed his suit. ''Take _that_ you scoundrel''

Sherry dropped to her knees and held her friends head in her hands. She could feel the hard protruding knot on the back of his head. The blonde looked up with disbelief at her butler. ''Albert! I know him! You shouldn't have knocked him out'' she scolded.

Albert blushed in embarrassment. ''S-sorry master Belmont but I was only thinking of your safety'' he responded.

_Besides,_ he thought. _He got what he deserve, the bloody…_

Sherry rolled her eyes and looked back down at Koi's face. His fuzzy eyes slowly opened and focused onto her. He opened his mouth to speak but coughed and winced in pain.

''S-Sherry'' he whimpered. He gripped the material of her night dress and closed his eyes.

''Yes?'' she answered uncertainly. Koi didn't hit him that hard, did he?

''Come...closer. P-please'' Sherry didn't really understand why he ask her this, but she complied nevertheless, feeling sorry for the harm inflicted onto this old man.

''Closer...''

Sherry obeyed.

He then raised his head and kissed her full on the lips. Sherry's blue eyes widened in both surprise and disgust as realization hit her full force. She pulled away from him as quick as lightning and swung on him full force. The resulting smack tore through the air, along with the old potion masters laughter. After settling down some, he raised a hand to his cheek to the bright red mark there as Sherry stood up and put as much distance between them as possible.

"K-Koi!"

Koi laughed lightly and stood up brushing himself off. He had a twinkle in his eye, obviously amused with his little joke. Sherry glared daggers at him and took the broomstick that her butler gratefully offered to her. Koi raised his hands in front of him and laughed again, this time a little nervously.

''It was just a joke Sherry, calm down, calm down. Besides -''

The look Sherry gave him showed she wasn't that willing to forgive him right away. Koi sighed and straightened himself, standing to his full height. The sudden change from joking to looking dead serious took her aback and she slowly lowered her weapon. A little.

''All joking aside, Sherry I came here to tell you something important…about Brago and the potion''

Sherry abruptly dropped the broom to the ground, all hostility instantly forgotten. Albert turned to Sherry with a perplexed look on his aged face. ''What's this Master Sherry?'' he asked with concern.

She faked an assuring smile.

''It's nothing Albert. You can go to your sleeping quarters now''

Albert looked as if he was going to say something more but changed his mind and sighed before turning to the door. ''Thank-you master Sherry'' he responded quietly, defeated. He then shot a glare at Koi before exiting the room; Sherry raised her blue eyes to the elderly man was now looking crestfallen. Sherry waited for him to explain.

''Do you remember that blonde waiter you met at my diner before all of this began?'' he asked.

That seemed like such an eternity ago, so much had happened since then. But Sherry remembered vividly despite everything.

''Yes'' she answered.

Hiewa, who had been silent the whole time, crawled out of bed. Sherry had completely forgotten he was even in the room. His chocolate brown eyes met her light ones, and Sherry felt horrible for what she was about to do.

She owed him. The small boy was going out of his way to help Brago and herself find the mamodo team who had given them so much trouble. The woman in her did not want him to hear anything awful at all dealing with the dark mamodo he had grown so fond of, but she knew now that he was also apart of this battle, it was her priority to ensure both of her partners, Brago and now Hiewa, knew everything.

Sherry took his hand and squeezed it, but didn't raise her eyes to meet his. Koi continued. ''I had him acquire all of the materials that I needed, including a species of flower used to make love potions'' He frowned. ''Unfortunately, this species is also identical to an extremely harmful plant. I looked over my notes and realized the mistake. The plant I needed has only three leaves. The plant he gave me had four'' Sherry didn't respond, she just allowed this piece of information to sink in.

She took a calming breath. Brago would not be in good shape to fight Frey and his partner, or any mamodo team in that matter if what he said was true. There was no way that it would be deadly to him…

Hiewa seemed to understand the situation and looked sullen, his eyes cast down to his feet.

''Is there an antidote?'' she asked.

xxxx

Brago was awakened from his nap by the powerful stench of humans. And mamodo. He looked down from his tree and saw them: five pairs of teams and one lone human. He looked awfully familiar… wild red hair and wilder silver eyes that made him look even more intimidating than his brawny figure did—at least to a human. Did he defeat him before?

''Hey you! Yeah you, you remember me don't you?! The owner of the blue book!''

Brago focused his crimson eyes on the human regarding him closely. Then he remembered. He was the human partner of that water mamodo he defeated before everything changed for him.

The dark mamodo smirked and sat up from his sleeping position on the tree branch. He wasn't able to get any decent rest anyway because of forbidden thoughts of Sherry assaulting him for hours. And besides, he needed something to vent his anger on.

He leaped from the branch with feline grace and landed neatly on his feet. Brago looked up and took the time to study all of the mamodo surrounding him. All five.

''You didn't know that I had some friends with freaks like you, did you? Well lookie here; you'll be sorry for beating me like that!''

He gave Brago a cocky lopsided grin and stepped back, silver eyes dancing with maniacal glee. He crossed his arms to his chest and laughed. The young red head obviously expected Brago to run away, cry, wet himself or at least show a little faint hint that he was scared out of his mind. But he didn't. In fact, Brago gave them all a look that made them want to do all four of the above—and more.

''Really?'' Brago asked amusingly. He flexed his fingers allowing them to see his long jagged claws.

''I'd love to see you make me sorry''

Everyone there cringed.

''Don't look at him you pansies! _Kill him_!''

Five different melee attacks came his way and Brago laughed—right before he leaped over the explosion as it made impact with the ground. He looked to every human and mamodo as he hovered threateningly from the air, a perilous fanged grin devouring his features.

He seemingly disappeared in thin air, suddenly reappearing before the largest mamodo there, a large bull, and grabbed him roughly by the horns. Brago's smile grew as he looked him straight in the eyes. Then, he roughly pushed the horns down, breaking them clean off near the roots, leaving two small ivory stumps. The mamodo's scream clawed at the air and at sensitive human and mamodo ears alike as it reared in both agony and fierce panic.

''_Dono_!''

Brago swung, his hit landing on the side of the bull's head, sending him flying as the man beside looked on, his eyes following him as he fell a way off. His partner yelped and dropped his book, running off in the opposite direction. ''Forget you Kage!'' he yelled as he rushed past him.

Brago let him run and raced to two smaller mamodo, both humanoid. Their partners saw him as he approached and cast their spells—smart move.

"_Winder Rae!"_

"_Lite!"_

Lightening and cold wind precariously advanced towards him, reckless and fierce; the golden bolt callously scorching the earth as it whizzed by and the vast gust of wind tossing everything aside as it impishly tugged at whole branches and raised roots of trees, threatening to uproot them.

The dark mamodo ran between the two forces, too quickly for sparks and gripping wind to catch, before grabbing the heads of both mamodo. Their partners tried to cast another spell as they gazed upon his dark form in horror to destroy him, but he had already turned both mamodo's heads to face each other as the words came loose from their lip.

They took care if themselves.

Three down, two more to go.

Brago turned to the remaining teams and chuckled darkly when he saw how fearful they looked, pale as sheets and moist with persistent sweat, trembling like frozen leaves in a harsh wind. ''I thought you guy's were going to make me sorry'' he said simply, flexing his long fingers.

They cried.

xxxx

Light had just begun to shine dimly through the trees when he finally rested, the small specks of light able to escape the green leaves dancing lightly on his gray skin. He sat quietly under a tree in the grass, allowing the wintry breeze to cool his body down. The books he had been able to confiscate were tossed to the ground beside him in a variety of colors and conditions, yet each possessing the same peculiar symbol on the hard cover. He felt exhausted, his body's weariness finally succeeding in drowning anything in his mind not pertaining to relaxing and basking in the glow of his victory, however small it was.

And now he had a plan.

* * *

**A/N:** Oh sweet sugar ice tea….XD It looks better now, though.


	7. Going Out

Change in Seasons

Crystaldaggerz

Chapter seven

**A/N:** I'm almost done editing! -squeals and dances around in relief-

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Zatch Bell, yadda yadda yadda.

* * *

Hesitant, Sherry opened her bedroom door allowing Koi to pass through eyes downcast. Hiewa grippingly watched the elderly man as he turned to face the pair once more in the doorway. He was wearing an assuring smile that almost comforted him—almost...

''Don't worry you two'' he said ardently, thoroughly abandoning his initial anxious frown. ''You can count on me''

Sherry forced a smile, half-heartedly expecting it to fool the elderly man, because to her, it actually felt like a grimace. Surprisingly it had the desired effect; he smiled back and swiftly exited her chambers after an exchange of morose good-byes donned in bright clothing.

Sherry slowly closed the door after him and stood when it was shut, silent and rigid, an iron grip on the ivory handle. Hiewa silently observed her, debating whether or not he should approach her. He wanted to; he would have liked to comfort her, this lovely woman whom he had grown to think of as a mother, aunt and in a strange sense, the replacement of an older sister whose image had begun to fade away. It saddened him to see her so upset; it looked as if she were on the verge of tears.

Didn't she believe him? Koi's words replayed over and over in his head like an irking TV commercial. _''An antidote?''_ he had asked. _''I'm not sure, but I will do my best to find one, Sherry''_

Hiewa believed the old man could do it. He'd believe almost anything if he knew Brago would be alright in the end; strong, stubborn and brave Brago—the perfect super hero, though now he was the one who needed saving. His brows knitted together and he looked down with frustration, tiny fists shaking.

Sherry slowly turned to face him and watched wistfully as he fought back his own wave of tears. Her lips were upturned slightly in another painfully sad smile, her stark azure eyes betraying her true emotions. ''Hiewa, maybe it would be best for you to go to sleep now''

Hiewa's own eyes widened in shock and recovering somewhat, he crossed his arms to his chest defiantly as he looked up, chin raised. For that moment, the boy actually looked his age. ''But I don't want to! I'm not a baby!'' he exclaimed, chocolate brown eyes darkening immediately.

Sherry looked as if she wanted to respond to that remark, almost smiling in amusement before the door swung opened, harshly hitting the wall. She heard a crash as a picture fell from the wall to the ground in a sea of broken glass. She nearly fell over in surprise when she saw the intruder.

''Brago!'' she exclaimed.

The dark mamodo stood right there in her doorway crimson eyes ablaze—the object of her excruciating headache. She noticed that he was still shirtless and slick with sweat and somewhat satisfied with himself; a look gracing his features that looked awfully familiar to her—he got that look after his ego swelled from whenever he had accomplished something. Though now there was something horribly off.

She turned pink despite herself as she remembered stroking that same bare chest not too long ago in her bedroom. Embarrassed that she couldn't keep her mind from trailing off in that direction, she willed her blush to fade away. Instead, she glowered at him, not very sure why she was upset with him in the first place.

''What in the world have you been doing Brago?'' she asked with exasperation. She envisioned him bullying unarmed but irksome teenagers or some little kid while he was out. Or maybe even hunting some kind of large animal in the woods. There was a wild glint in those dark eyes of his, as if the velvet scarlet she had grown to love hardened to a solid ruby, void of any emotion. His glare was flinchingly cold; fierce, biting, chilling her to her very being, causing her to flinch as she felt the blood in her veins freeze.

He had never looked at her like that. In the beginning, there had been hostility brewing behind the crimson glare; now, there was nothing at all.

Just emptiness.

''The boy is coming with me''

It took a while for what he said to register in her numbing mind. Her brows crinkled as she absorbed it, willing herself to put effort into examining his words, turning them over countless times before she was able to comprehend what he had said. Her sapphire eyes sparked angrily, widening into an azure tempest.

''Listen, Brago. I told you that I'm coming with you! What's so hard to understand about that?'' she asked firmly but calmly. Only her eyes gave her away. She was stark mad!

He didn't answer her. How surprising. He averted his eyes from the raging cerulean fire caught in her dark lashes and focused instead on the boy standing quietly behind Sherry.

His brown eyes were sparkling with a mixture of excitement and total bliss. Brago was ignorant to the emotions so openly displayed in the boy and beckoned him towards him. ''Come with me'' he ordered resolutely.

Sherry spun around, golden hair whipping behind her as she curled her hands into tight fists at her side.

''Hiewa! Stay right there'' she commanded before spinning around again to face Brago. He was snarling at her, lip curled back.

''I already told you Sherry, you're not coming''

''And I told _you_ that I am!'' she answered, voice unknowingly rising.

''No you're not''

''_Yes_ I _am_!''

Hiewa watched them as they argued viciously, harsh words jumping nimbly from mouth to mouth.

He desperately wanted to leave with Brago, to finally find his sister again but he remained standing where he was for both fear and respect for Sherry. The two of them were now silent and glaring at each other with such intensity that Hiewa was genially surprised when neither of their heads were set ablaze.

Sherry sighed heavily as she curled a sun-kissed ringlet between her fingers, still glowering at the mamodo before her. ''Okay Brago'' she said tiredly, deciding to change tactics. ''How will you fight without you're spells then? That team isn't one that will let you approach them without a plan. What do you plan to do?''

He wasn't about to admit to her that he hadn't even thought of a plan past making her stay safely here. In fact, he had originally thought of rushing at them like Sherry clearly suggested he was fixed to do. Without saying anything more to her, he effortlessly shouldered passed her and approached Hiewa.

The boy looked up at him, wide-eyed, and then looked to Sherry who looked to be in total shock.

''Um...Brago?'' he whispered softly. The dark mamodo ignored him and grabbed the small boy by the wrist, leading him towards the door. Sherry hastily stepped out in front of them.

''Brago! Please, just for once, will you listen to me?!'' she pleaded arms out to block him, utterly failing to maintain her initial infuriation. It was melting away, leaving terror in its place. For once in her life, she felt fearful of what Brago was capable of doing to her...the way his crimson eyes were piercing into her now...

She shuddered but remained where she was.

But more then anything she was terrified of what may happen to him in battle with his judgment fried and hazardous poison of a deadly plant wrecking havoc in his body.

Brago studied her quietly for a moment as if considering her plea. Something familiar flashed across his face and she felt hope spark within her along with it. Sherry relaxed and lowered her arms, hoping that he had finally given in…and maybe, maybe even become his old lovable, stubborn, strange self.

Then, he surprised them both.

Releasing Hiewa's hand, he reached out and grabbed her by her shoulders before roughly pulling her to him for a kiss. Her eyes widened in shock, her mind shutting down just before he broke it.

She looked up and inhaled sharply. His ruby eyes had visibly softened from the earlier cold rock into their normal warm velvety pools of crimson. He looked at her almost apologetically; lips curved down into a small doleful frown as he lifted his clawed hand and gently, carefully, traced the curve of her cheek, taking great caution not to mar her. She opened her mouth to speak before the ability failed her completely, but he had already released her, already pulled Hiewa with him out the door, had already gone.

The loud thud from the slamming of the door snatched her out of her daze. She spun around and wrapped her hand around the door knob and turned.

It wouldn't open.

Sherry shook the door handle and beat the mahogany wood hard with her fist. ''Brago! Open this damn door!''

There was no answer.

"BRAGO! Come back here and open this _damn door_!'' she screamed. ''Brago! Come back here!"

It didn't surprise her any when he didn't answer, but it didn't do much to ease her dark mood—she continued to beat the door and holler until her throat was raw from abuse. Growling, she spun on her heels and stormed away from the door, her head spinning dangerously from the different emotions playing havoc on her mind.

She wanted to continue to scream regardless of the fact that she knew it would be a fruitless cause and would only result in her losing her voice. She was infuriated that he kissed her when she was off guard like that, but— but her heart was fluttering inside her chest as if it had dissolved into a family of butterflies, and her was still tingling pleasantly from where he had touched her. She had never known he could be so gentle, but he proved her wrong. Actually, he had proven her wrong about a lot of things.

If someone had asked her before if he was capable of half the emotions she seen in his eyes, she would have laughed and said definitely not. But the way he looked at her lately, the way he would set her ablaze by simply looking at her was very very real. Though in all honesty, she shouldn't have been really surprised. After all, Brago was an intense person. It only made sense that he'd be the same way with other emotions.

But intensity wasn't going to get him anywhere in a mamodo battle.

A wave of depression nearly drowned her when she thought of all the ways he could get hurt because of the state he was in, yet she was sure that when she saw him again she wouldn't hesitate to rip him to pieces and burn them all to ashes. Forcefully ceasing her pacing, she took a shuddering breath and massaged her temples, attempting to ease her headache.

She needed to do something. She couldn't just stay locked in her room or else she'd surely lose her mind. Sherry looked around her room for something, anything, that may spark an idea.

_Silly mamodo_, she thought amusingly. Brago may have thought he won, but he had forgotten one slight detail.

_Technology!_

The jerk didn't even know how to use a remote control, there was no way he knew anything about cell phones! She doubted he had even seen one. Smiling smugly to herself, she patted her thigh for her own mobile.

And…

It wasn't there.

Sherry's eye twitched before she let out a frustrated scream. Her dress! She left it in the bathroom for the freaking maid! The blonde was angry enough to tear her hair out. Why oh why was lady luck torturing her like this? Sadists and their miserable forms of entertainment…

_Relax, _she told herself firmly before she screamed again. _Just think._

Her blue eyes landed on her blanket and she sighed in exasperation before rushing over to her messy bed. The blanket was thin, and as she tugged it a few times, she realized that she wasn't content with this particular material for her plan: it was far too weak.

She dropped it and looked around once more. Her eyes flew from her dresser to her nightstand, to the small round table in the corner and to her curtains as she danced about. Nothing seemed good enough, and she couldn't recall having any rope. She finally came to the closet, and flung the doors open. The blonde brought down and dug through numerous boxes which kept gifts given to her that she would have rather forgotten and left for the ravenous dust bunnies and cobwebs.

Her hands found and wrapped around a rough scratchy material, and she pulled it out. It was a very grotesque painting of a gruesome battle of some sort on a beige blanket, the grisly smell of the stale material making the scene all the more real. It seemed strong enough, and large enough. Satisfied, she tugged it out completely and went over to her window and pulled it open.

The forthcoming arms of the sun, early warm rays bright and cheerful, welcomed her, a nice change from the frequent nipping of the air in her room. The wind blew through the towering trees whose branches delicately scratched her window and through her hair as she looked down to the ground below. It was far, even from the lowest branch on the tree beside her. If she fell, she'd break more than just an ankle or two.

Sighing heavily, she carefully climbed out onto the closest and sturdiest looking branch. Next, Sherry tied one end of the blanket around its base close to the great trunk of the tree, taking care to ensure that the knot was reliable.

Satisfied, she wiped her brow and chanced another look down, regretting it immediately when she felt her stomach turn. _Come on Sherry…_ she thought. She had faced far more challenging things than this. Hell, she fought monsters from another world for a living with Brago...

Brago.

Her grip on the blanket tightened before she dropped it and watched it fly down, stopping about a foot or two off the ground.

Usually when she did things like this, she barely gave it a second thought. It was like the heat of the moment thing. Now, the moment was ice cold and she was giving this a lot more than a second thought. Try four or five thoughts. Even if she made it out, Brago wouldn't let her join him easily, and it wasn't like she knew where he was anyway.

The blonde moved away from the trunk and climbed back through the window to the side of her bed. She dug around through her bed sheets until her hands patted the familiar hard cover of a book. Pulling it out, she brought it closer to her face and ran her hand over the dark cover tracing the strange picture adorning it. Just like him.

Looking over to the window, she finally made a final decision to help Brago whether he liked it or not. Besides, she was his team mate, wasn't she?

xxxx

''Brago! We have to get Sherry! Why did you lock her up?!''

Brago growled irritably and clenched his fist. He had released his hold on the little brunette long ago, but it didn't seem to minimize the annoyance he felt from Hiewa's constantly running mouth.

He wished greatly that he didn't have to rely on some little human boy, whose mouth never seemed to rest, and whose well of questions never ran dry.

''Are you listening to me Brago? Why? Huh? Why did you do that?''

"…"

''Tell me! Why? Why? Huh? Whhhyyy?''

''**Shut up**!''

Hiewa closed his mouth and blinked at the back of Brago's head. He had stopped for a moment, but continued walking down the sidewalk after a brief moment of silence.

Hiewa watched Brago's heels as he walked, the pavement below him just a moving blur. It was difficult to match his pace, and he had often been forced to run in order to catch up when he had been lagging behind, but Brago never seemed to notice. In fact, he never once looked at him since he dragged him out of Sherry's room. Hiewa had to rile up a reaction from the other man to convince himself that he was alright.

''I wasn't only talking to you''

Hiewa looked back up at Brago's head questioningly, but he let Brago's response for his actions go. Brago said unusual things regularly.

''Where are we going?'' Hiewa asked, twirling around on his heels his arms outstretched.

''Did you not tell me where you're sister was?''

''Aaaaa-meeeer-i-caaaaaaa'' he answered, playing with the sound. ''But we can't just leave Sherry here all by herself''

Bored with twirling around, Hiewa focused his energy on taking special care to not step on any of the numerous cracks weaving in and out of the sidewalk. Brago hadn't answered him so he continued.

''You like Sherry don't you?''

''...What makes you say that?''

A small smile played on his lips and his brown eyes sparkled. ''Weeeeell, you kissed her silly''

Brago sighed.

_Even a little boy knows you have the hots for that blonde chick. Why can't you just accept the fact, eh?_

The voice that had been the cause of him snapping at Hiewa was once more grating on his nerves. He wasn't mentally capable of handling both Hiewa's and this voice's rambling at the same time.

For now, he decided to ignore the nagging voice completely until he was able to arrive to the kid's uncle's house and fly to America with his family. He could finally find the mamodo team who had in a sense, been the roots of all of their trouble; digging itself into their lives and breeding animosity and perplexity.

Suddenly, Hiewa bumped firmly into him, gripping the material of his gloomy clothing to break his fall. Brago spun around and grabbed him by both wrists, irritation looming over him like an immense foreboding storm cloud. Hiewa smiled apologetically.

''What the hell are you doing?'' Brago growled.

''Trying not to step on any cracks''

Brago stared at him as if he had grown an extra head with wings flapping from its ears. This only made the boy's smile grow.

''For what reason?'' he asked slowly, not entirely sure he wanted an answer—but he had never heard anything so ridicules.

Hiewa looked surprised, his large brown eyes widening in astonishment, as if the idea of him not knowing were preposterous.

''Didn't you know? Step on a crack, you break you're mothers back! _Everyone_ knows that'' he responded with a roll of his eyes.

xxxx

Closing the porch door behind him, the elderly man patted the golden head of his companion, a beautiful Labrador retriever approaching old age herself; though it was hard to tell with her energetic antics. He laid his hand to rest on his waist, Yasasha's tail beating excitingly at his thigh, and scrutinized the large bottle green van parked neatly in his driveway.

Four kids and two adults awaited him behind rolled-down car windows and open doors, the kids vigorously fanning themselves while they complained to their weary parents between laughter.

He smiled. It seemed like an eternity since their last vacation—his grandkids were now almost as tall as he. He looked up at the royal blue cloudless sky and shook his head merrily, joyous that the weather was finally on his side. The old man couldn't wait; his hands were shaking with excitement, though it could have been his arthritis. A loud bark from Yasasha snatched him from his thoughts.

He looked down at her.

''What's wrong Yasasha? ''

She gave another ferocious bark, her brown eyes focused dead ahead and her lip curled back in a snarl, revealing her canines. He looked up to see what had caused her to snap into guard dog mode.

A young man was steadily advancing towards him with a child on his back. He could have been pale, it was difficult to tell with his complexion the odd tinge of gray that it was. He was donned in black clothing; fishnet, ribs outlining his waist and dark fur on his shoulders…it reminded him of the crazy style some teenagers had taken a fancy to.

Just watching him approach, the old man immediately knew that he could not compare the man to the rowdy kids that sometimes played their fuming music too loudly or pierced themselves senseless; he was...different...

The young man looked up at him, his peculiar crimson eyes showing signs of fatigue. He slowly stepped through the gate and approached him, coming to a halt at the porch steps.

''Here,'' he said agitatedly, turning around so the boy's back faced him. His eyes widened in realization when he saw the familiar messy mop of woody hair.

''Hiewa!'' he exclaimed.

Hiewa lifted his head at the sound of his name and mumbled something incoherently. The elderly man reached over and wrapped his wizened but sturdy arms around his small waist to lift him up, but the little boy refused to budge. Hiewa's arms were laced firmly around the man's neck, and it didn't seem he'd let go anytime soon.

''Hiewa. Hiewa, wake up'' he whispered firmly, shaking his shoulder. This time, Hiewa lifted his head and kept it up. He loosened his hold on Brago and allowed himself to be removed and be picked up by his uncle. Brago sighed as he turned around to face the two looking rather gruff, eyeing the small boy blinking drowsily at him with distaste. Hiewa's uncle let his nephew down on his feet upon his request and Hiewa affectionately petted the silky fur of the suddenly cheerful

Yasasha.

The old man gave Brago an odd measuring look before looking down at his nephew.

''Um...well, Hiewa? Didn't you tell me that your, er, friend...was in your class?''

Hiewa looked up at him as if he lost his mind, Yasasha mimicking his exact look at gazing at her master with disapproving eyes. ''Í know I did, Uncle. He is in my class''

His uncle raised a silver brow and frowned deeply again, and observed his so-called friend again who growled impatiently at the unwanted attention.

Hiewa stood up and crossed his arms. ''Are you packed yet? Where is everyone?''

Just as he said that, a woman holding the hand of a bright eyed little girl opened the screen door. She stood stagnant in the doorway for a moment, observing the three people on her porch. Her silver eyes bounced from Hiewa to her "uncle" and finally to the mysterious dark young man who studied her irritably.

''Aren't you supposed to be Hiewa's classmate?'' she asked.


	8. The Plan

Change in Seasons

Crystaldaggerz

Chapter eight

**A/N:** I updated! I know, I know, you guys can shoot me, hang me, eat me, beat me, or all of the above in any order of you're choosing. I haven't been a good little writer, neglecting my fanfic and readers for how many months/years? I apologize! I'm so so so so sorry! I edited "Change in Seasons" and was close to tears when I was through…the fact that you guys reviewed that mess is like, wow…I was ready to slit my wrists and rock in a corner! -cough cough- Thanks a million, you don't know it right now, but I'm giving you all a virtual big, nasty, wet and juicy smooch on the cheek. Ha!

* * *

Sherry had never felt like a dumb blonde before in her life, but she did right then. For starters, just as her boots had met solid ground about fourteen feet below her branch, she remembered that she had a spare cellular phone in her top drawer. Therefore, she had to re-climb the tree, skinning her elbows and hands as she did so, for she had been in a hurry.

After going through her drawers and coming up empty handed, she limped _back_ to the window (she had tripped over the window ledge in her rush) and climbed back down, using the horrid tapestry as a rope, cursing whenever her dress had gotten snagged in the long fingers of teasing branches.

At the moment she stood before the great doors of her mansion; out of breath and really, really, _really_, mad. She burst through after quickly unlocking them, feeling absolutely homicidal.

The old man met her in the hall as she was turning to the staircase (he had heard his master calling for him and come running), scruffily dressed in plaid pajamas. Only his left foot was clothed in a gray slipper, and one side of his thin silver hair was matted flat. Albert blinked drowsily at her as she passed him and climbed the winding wooden staircase.

"Master Sherry?"

"I need my private plane to be ready as soon as possible; I shall be leaving shortly" Sherry commanded fiercely as she disappeared from his view.

A wave of realization hit him hard as the news sunk into his fuzzy brain. Eyes widening, he hastily followed her up the stairway, catching her slim figure on the second floor in front of her bedroom door, struggling to shove a marble roman statue from its position there.

Albert immediately rushed to her aid, and together the two were able to push it to its proper place alongside the wall from her door. Blank stone eyes stared at them from the round face of the nude woman, her face cupped by the strong hands of the man beside her. Sherry gave the beautiful statue a somnolent glance before turning back to her door. For the first time since she came bursting in, Albert was able to scrutinize her and a look of absolute astonishment leaked into the fine wrinkles in his face.

"Sherry! You look a fright!" he exclaimed, his dark eyes jumping from the vicious tears in her mauve dress, to the scratches running across her skin.

Sherry blushed and frowned indignantly. "I had to climb down a tree from my bedroom window!" she grumbled before stepping past him and into her room. "I was locked in my damn room!" He followed and stood at the foot of her bed, watching as she pulled a suitcase from her closet and dropped it unceremoniously on her bed, which he noticed to be in total disarray. She muttered irately to herself as she packed; clothes, a first aid kit, a blanket, and what he thought to be Tylenol.

"Idiot, the fool! _How dare he_!" she spat in abhorrence as she zipped the suitcase. Albert made a move to help her with her cumbersome luggage, but she was already through the door with a trail of curses snaking its way out following her. Sighing, he produced his own cell from the deep pockets of his plaid pants and dialed Anthony, Sherry's personal pilot.

xxxx

The woman stood there very patiently waiting for his reply. Her onyx eyes stared unwaveringly at him even when he glowered at her boldness. Brago couldn't stand being under her gaze, which wasn't admiring as Hiewa's were, or…intoxicating as were Sherry's. Her's were polished surgeons tools; piercing, as they cut him open with prominent precision and scrutinized his insides with a knowing mind. Thankfully, the small girl beside him grasped her attention from the puzzle she was attempting to solve.

"Let's go, mommy. I want to see Daisy Duck at Disneyland" she said pointedly. Only after saying what she had wished did she turn her head and take in the people surrounding her. A budding smile graced her delicate features as she looked to Brago.

"Hello"

He ignored her. ''When are we leaving?'' he asked to anyone in particular. Hiewa's uncle chuckled tentatively before sighing. ''Alright, alright…what is your name?'' he asked, speculating just what kind of friends Hiewa made. All eyes turned to him.

"Brago" he replied simply, not bothering to lie.

The aged man smiled in welcome, his closed eyes curving up as if joining in the gesture. "Well then, my name is Urawa Sakakai" He turned to the young woman beside him who continued to regard him as an anomaly. "And this is a dear friend of mine, Rumiko Sakura"

The little girl pointed to her chest and her smile broadened. "And my name is Emily Rumiko. Pleased to meet you"

Brago nodded to each in turn before finally settling his gaze suggestively onto Hiewa. Hiewa stood up and spun around to his side, grinning at the party before him as he took the mamodo's hand. Brago frowned at the contact but allowed his small hand to stay where it was, somewhat amused at the expressions that he saw on their faces.

Emily giggled, a light tinkling sound, and looked up at her mother with laughing silver eyes. "Shall we all go then?" she asked lightly.

Brago nodded in agreement. "I'm ready to leave"

Sakura wrinkled her nose at his comment and slashed him again with shrewd onyx eyes before finally shrugging. The elderly man took in the sight of all the people teeming on his little rickety porch; an aging dog, two small children—one behaved and one not so; a persistently observant young woman and a stern young man who seemed off but was anything but. Hiewa gave his uncle a thumbs up as shouts from the car got their attention. Small heads poked out from behind the metal doors; faces moist with sweat and eyes nearly filled at the brim with curiosity—their lips were trembling from endeavoring to trap the storm of questions threatening to spew.

Sakakai chuckled as he shook his head, walking through the path that everyone made for him. Before descending down the steps, he regarded Brago once more as the mamodo stepped aside for him.

Their eyes met.

The older man broke the eye contact and smiled grandly, the gesture taking years off his appearance, giving him an idea how he might have looked as a young man. Brago blinked, puzzled, and watched as everyone followed Hiewa's uncle down the steps, the dog tagging gleefully at their heels. Brago stood there rigid and gazed at the steps with a mixture of feelings that blended and twisted around each other until he hadn't the slightest idea how he was feeling.

But he did know one thing. After walking down that path, there would be no turning back. And as the thought cantered through his mind, he knew that he was thinking of her.

Hiewa looked up at him and squeezed his hand, mistaking his hesitation for something else.

"Don't worry Brago, everything will be alright!"

_Not with you leaving, it won't… _

_xxxx_

Though not as much as Koko, Anthony had always been a dear friend to her. His sense of humor and quick smile was always a great relief from the harshness of Brago. She sat across from him in his limousine, composed in the sleek leather seats. Albert had insisted that he come with her, but she instantly declined, giving him the day off after apologizing for her attitude this morning. Not that it had gone completely. She was still ridiculously livid, but a majority of the storm that had been brewing dangerously within her had been released through the laughs that escaped her whenever Anthony took a crack at lightening her mood.

Sherry beamed at her older friend and leaned her head against the glass window regarding him closely; the large dimples that brightened his entire face when he smiled, his laughing ginger eyes and his voice that effortlessly smoothed some of the wrinkles in her mood.

He raised a brow at her examination and leaned forward in his seat towards her, his eyes sparkling with amusement. Sherry frowned slightly at the look he was giving her, as if he notioned that she were some entertaining specimen. "…What is it?" she asked hesitantly, uncertain if she actually wanted to hear his response.

"Am I so attractive…" he asked darkly, his eyes measuring her expression. "…that you can't stop staring?"

The blonde blushed prettily and deepened her frown before looking away from him and out of the other window, idly watching the cars streak past. She'd been caught.

"I was thinking of something…" she answered vaguely.

He chuckled. "You won't tell me? Is it too naughty to share"

"No!" she exclaimed shocked before seeing that he was teasing her. Sherry glowered lackadaisically at him when he began laughing again, her own smile forming on her lips. His laughs were always contagious.

"I'm trying to be angry, but it's complicated to do that around you" she said accusingly, tapering her eyes playfully at him. He held his hands up in defense at her claim. "Hey, I can't help myself. I can't stand to see you upset, and it looked as if you were looking to gnash someone's head between your teeth when I saw you"

Sherry did laugh at that, but it sounded false. Anthony watched as her lashes drooped over those gorgeous crystal blue eyes of hers as she looked away from him again. He wanted to shake her and demand that she abandon her anguish and grant him a real laugh, and a permanent smile not outlined with acrimony and grief. His entire being demanded he pull her into a tight embrace and tell her to forget about that bastard friend of hers, because he was _positive_ that that Brago character was the cause of all her fury in the first place—but he did not. Instead, he laid a gentle hand on her knee.

"Tell me what happened"

He wasn't asking that she unburden her torment from her shoulders and share with him, but demanding it. Sherry bit her bottom lip, afraid to tell him. She was certain that if she commenced with her story, she would be incapable of stopping until everything was out, everything— even the things she was terrified to consider for herself. Finally, she released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding and caught his supple but firm auburn eyes. She couldn't refuse him.

xxxx

"Aren't you ready yet, little girl?"

Sighing briskly, the ebony haired teen smacked her lips together with a pop and critically studied the reflection staring coolly back at her from her small hand mirror. She sat on a park bench shielded from the consuming blazing glare of the sun by the far-reaching jade branches from the ancient tree looming over her. The park was packed today; the humid air was teeming with cries and shouts from children and teenagers alike; either chasing, racing, running freely and walking; no one took notice of them and she rather liked it that way.

Today she wore her long black tresses in an elegant bun high on her head threaded with barbed wire. The clothes she wore were also black, seemingly unaffected by the seething heat scorching everything else. She wore a high skirt and a turtleneck sweater and knee boots, and at the moment was putting finishing touches on her makeup. Satisfied with her appearance, she snapped her pocket mirror shut.

"Charlotte. That's my name and I suggest you use it. Repeatedly calling someone 'little girl' is quite rude, you know"

The boy beside her scowled with repugnance. His features were angular and fierce, giving him the appearance of a shark although he only looked to be ten years old. Perhaps the strangest thing about him was his orange eyes, always chilly despite its sweltering color that matched his feral hair—but the slender distinguishing lines following the curve of his cheeks from beneath his eyes were also peculiar.

When he spoke, it sounded as if he were growling deep in his throat making anything he said sound malevolent, although that summed up a majority of what actually came out of his mouth.

"Cut the crap, Charlotte'' he spat, grinding his scissor-like teeth together. "You've been covering yourself with that junk for a freaking hour! Get off your butt and let's go!"

Charlotte zipped her purse and tidied her bun before turning her head in the slightest to examine her partner. His arms were folded securely to his chest and he was glaring at her with loathing. In his gangsta Bugz T' shirt and baggy pants, she couldn't say she was intimidated in the least, although the same would be true if he looked like a fully armed gladiator.

"_Temper_," she warned suggestively. His lips tightened into a thin line but he said no more. After a moment of testing his patience, she stood and yawned jadedly.

He snarled at her and stamped his foot. ''Are you ready now, Charlotte? I've been waiting patiently forever!''

"Shut the hell up, you little runt'' she retorted tiredly. She checked her watch and contemplated her fuming stomach.

Frey watched her with growing infuriation as she stood silently, thinking probably. He stamped his foot on the gravel again and regarded her with such contempt, she actually turned and raised a hefty brow at him.

"What the hell?" she inquired.

"Come on! I told you I sensed a mamodo around here, so let's go and burn their book already!''

Rolling her eyes, she gave him her full attention, something he was never really at ease in possessing—as if she were a tittering boulder at the edge of a cliff suddenly all too aware of his presence.

"I'm hungry" she stated simply. "We just fought yesterday. Surely you can wait a while''

The mamodo groaned and vexingly kicked a rock into the grass. "Ugh!" he exclaimed bitterly, eying her with distaste. She ignored him and began her descent down the gravel path.

Frey fell in stride behind her and grumbled aloud; cursing her entire existence and all she came in contact with. His poisoned words were like whispered sweet-nothings in her ear and she bathed in its entirety with grace.

xxxx

Brago slept on and off during the plane ride; his body unable to decide whether it wanted to drift endlessly in the nothingness of a dreamless slumber or sit in a daze in the world of the living. Hiewa sat sleeping in the seat beside him, head lolling to the side close to his shoulder. He had been a bundle of raw exhilaration since before the plane took off into the vast expanse of sky. With the bubbly young boy beside him, Brago couldn't help but feel…at ease…?

The same went with the surrounding family of Heiwa. It was mostly his cousins that couldn't seem to sit still, put ease to their mouths running marathons or simply cease in their conspicuous stares and glaringly strident whispers. Only the little girl that sat before him kept quiet to a certain degree, settling with staring out of the plane window and singing softly to herself. When his ears were almost bleeding from the anarchy moving in on him, he would shield his mind and concentrate only on her soft melodic and peculiarly soothing words.

Occasionally she would turn her head and smile at Heiwa and he with both her mouth and hoary eyes that peered vibrantly from beneath her long lashes. On one such occasion, Heiwa smiled broadly back causing her to giggle. Then she turned around again and resumed in her observation of the sky.

"_I watch you fast asleep…all I fear means nothing…_" she sang.

Her mother beside her stirred noiselessly in her sleep just as Heiwa's eyes fluttered open. He mumbled something groggily and blinked rapidly as he tried to get his eyes to focus. After a long yawn, Hiewa was finally capable of saying something comprehendible and Brago was able to understand what he had been saying.

"Are we there yet?"

"No"

The small boy groaned and closed his eyes again. However, the quiet did not last long.

"I'm bored" he said crossly, crossing his arms to his chest.

"I can tell"

"I want to get up"

"If you do, I won't accompany you. Your Uncle would not be pleased" he answered, annoyed.

"I miss Sherry"

The mamodo didn't respond. Instead, he looked away once again out of the window although he could see nothing. He tried to block out the small boy's persistent probing and concentrated instead on the girl's soft voice.

"_Falling is fatal…from this height I know, I should have never—"_

"Do you miss her too, Brago?" Heiwa asked. He could see his muscles tense immediately at the question, but Brago remained quiet.

"And I will fall to the floor…to help you pull yourself together…"

In truth, although he had pushed back his blonde partner to the very black depths of his mind, she resurfaced numerous times, gently touching his conscious as if she possessed no hindrances. He felt guilty; a new and disconcerting emotion to the point of being relentlessly exasperating. He hated the feeling almost as much as he hated the blue eyes that stared back at him when he closed his eyes.

Those were his nightmares.

With some sense of hilarity, he contemplated her rage— he could effortlessly envision her storming around barking orders to Albert demanding aid in chasing him around the globe; her flaxen hair in disarray, azure eyes a stormy sapphire tempest, full lips pulled down in a tight frown. There'd be hell to pay— and more when she saw him again. But she wouldn't. By the time she escaped her room, the peril would have passed; he would have defeated the mamodo he had been following so fervently.

_And when you go home, she'll try to murder you but the pair of you will end up having angry hot sex somewhere on the floor in her mansion…_

Agitated, he pulled himself out of dangerous waters and noticed idly that the girl had stopped singing and fallen asleep. Hiewa had given up on a lost cause and was currently preoccupied with a handheld device that whirred and beeped as he slammed his little fingers down on the buttons, blissfully unaware of him. Not trusting the unpredictable nature of the dream world, the mamodo silently watched the royal clouds behind his window.

* * *

**A/N:** Not too long, but it's something, even if it is a filler chapter. I probably put this somewhere in the other chapters after editing this, but PLEASE reread this story! I worked so hard in correcting all of my mistakes (…so…many…) and I really want you completely wonderful people to be able to actually enjoy the story as you read. Thnx so much for reading, I luv u all!! Reviews are so greatly appreciated, and I give special thanks for all my faithful reviewers. You all should get cookies.

(V)

(Tt)


	9. Coming To America

Change in Seasons

Change in Seasons

Crystaldaggerz

Chapter Nine

**A/N: **Hello everyone! -ducks to avoid getting hit by daggers- I guess I kinda deserved that…-ducks again- And that…-ducks again- MERCY!! –sobs- I'm so sorry! I know I know, I said that before after an excruciatingly long wait for a chapter. And because I owe you all, I have a confession to make.

I have been writing since Elementary, and I have NEVER completed a story. EVER. But alas, never fear. I plan on finishing this, it's my mission in life…no matter _how_ hard :P That's why I want to ask you for your support. The only reason why I picked this back up was because after I reread some of your awesome words in your reviews, I was like "Wow, you guys actually make me _want_ to finish this" Which is why I will. If you choose to stick with me, thanks a million, and if you choose to abandon ship, I'm sorry I basically suck :D So here's a update to finishing this story! Thanks so much for all your reviews!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Zatch Bell…**YET!** Mwa ha ha ha ha ha -cough- ha ha ha!!

* * *

Hiewa blinked his eyes opened and tried to make some sense of his surroundings in the darkness. It was still pretty early, and everyone in the large hotel room were still sleeping. He was lying down amongst his cousins on the carpet, nestled in the extra sheets Sakakai had requested for their room yesterday. He had almost been lulled back to sleep while listening to the soft snores around him when he first awoke, but after remembering his mission for the day, he had bolted upright.

Today he was supposed to help Brago find Charlotte.

He nudged someone's legs from his own and untangled himself from his blankets as quickly and quietly as he could without waking up anyone. Standing to his feet, he shivered as the cool air bit at his exposed flesh. Hiewa couldn't help but look back longingly at his toasty spot on the floor as he stepped over two of his sleeping cousins.

"Hn…Hiewa…is that you?"

The small boy froze instantly.

Kurosawa peered up at him from heavy lids. He didn't seem to mind that Hiewa had a bare foot hovering over his stomach as he tried to step over him, but he did look curious as to what he was doing up so early.

Hiewa sweatdropped and looked to the ceiling as if the answers were embedded somewhere in the paint there.

"Um…I…wanted to look at the pool through the window?"

Kurosawa simply stared at the boy standing over him. Hiewa wanted to smack himself. What kind of answer was _that_? Why should he be nervous when his cousin didn't have any reason to suspect that he was planning on sneaking out with Brago? He couldn't have given a more suspicious answer if he had _wanted_ to.

"…Oh"

And with that, he fell right back to sleep. Hiewa stared at the boy, unable to believe his luck. He remained still, wobbling on his one foot with the other still raised and stared at his cousin, expecting him to wake up again and demand the truth. When he didn't, Hiewa exhaled gratefully and put as much distance between him and the others as possible.

Emily and her mother occupied one of the beds and Sakakai the other. They were still sleeping from what he could see, and if he was right, he would still have about an hour or so before Sakura woke up. She was always the first to rise and would most likely be the first to notice his absence.

Turning away from them, he tip toed to one of the lounge chairs sitting in front of the television. Brago was sitting there, and much to his surprise, he wasn't awake. Hiewa hovered over him, frozen. The way the shadows were spilling on his grey skin and dark clothing was almost…malevolent. Hiewa couldn't help but feel a little frightened at his friend's appearance, and was about to reconsider waking him, when he heard someone stir.

He jumped in surprise and looked behind him, but whoever it had been had already settled down.

Hiewa groaned and held his hand to his chest in an attempt to calm his heart. Why was he so jumpy, again? This was Brago. Sure he was scary, but he was also silly and funny to watch and really cool sometimes.

Hiewa couldn't help but think something was wrong with leading him to his sister, but he ignored the feeling. He didn't know what his sister had done to make Brago what to hurt her, or what a mamodo was, or why he would even lead Brago to her in the first place when he knew what his intentions were. Thoughts like those gave him a headache so he never contemplated them long.

But even so, he knew what he would do.

Reaching out, Hiewa rested his hand on the man's shoulder and shook it. Brago's head lolled to the side, but he didn't stir. Pouting, he shook harder, and even urgently whispered his name, but he still didn't awaken.

Becoming braver, Hiewa decided it was time to result to desperate measures. Popping his index finger in his mouth, he sucked on it, making sure to coat it with enough saliva for what he was planning to do. Pulling it out, he leaned over and grinning mischievously, jammed it in Brago's ear.

The mamodo's reaction was instant. One moment, Hiewa was standing, and the next, he was caught in a headlock in Brago's lap, struggling to get free.

"_Let me go_" Hiewa hissed through his smile, glad that his plan had worked. Even if it felt like his neck was being crushed.

Brago stared at the boy in his arms as if he hadn't the slightest idea what to make of him. Finally, the dark mamodo seemed capable of speak through his disgust and anger and he squeezed Hiewa's neck harder.

"Are you _insane_?!" the mamodo spat angrily.

Hiewa immediately put a finger to his lips. "Shhhhhh" he whispered as he looked over to the beds to make sure no one had heard his friend. "Everyone's asleep"

Brago glared at him, but released him after giving an extra squeeze on his neck.

Hiewa immediately removed himself from the man's lap and massaged his neck. It hurt, but he couldn't seem to wipe the grin off of his face. Brago didn't miss this and resisted the very powerful urge to remove it from the boy's face permanently. He wasn't the type to be obsessed with hygiene, but damn it_, _he put his _spit_ in his ear! He felt violated.

"Why the hell did you…you…" He couldn't even say it.

Hiewa shushed him again. "You wouldn't wake up" he whispered back.

Brago narrowed his eyes at the boy but let the matter drop. Ignoring him for the moment, he yawned tiredly and stretched his beat limbs out. He hadn't slept that good since…the whole ordeal with Koi's potion started. The irksome voice in his head and thoughts centered on his blonde partner fended off sleep, though it was better off that way. He'd rather be exhausted and sleep deprived then dreaming of impossible blue eyes clouded over with ecstasy and soft pink lips calling out to him while he…

_You're doing it again. Can't keep your mind out of the gutter for long, can you?_

"Are you ready?" he asked gruffly, missing his dreamless sleep already. He didn't think he'd be getting more of those any time soon.

Hiewa nodded fervently. "Uh huh. I put the letter somewhere I know they'll see it" he replied softly. Even if Brago wasn't going to try to lower his voice, he would. "Are you?"

Brago nodded after a short pause.

"Lead the way"

xxxx

Sherry rubbed her eyes and gazed at her coffee tiredly.

She was sitting by the window in a coffee shop, and even the early morning rays from the sun weren't doing much to lighten her mood or rid her of the chill clinging to her bones. She sighed and took a sip from the mug before her, not missing that the warm liquid did nothing to warm her either.

It could have been because of the depression she felt seeping into her, or rather, it was _definitely _because of it. Alone in a coffee shop in America with a language she was rusty with swirling around her head from the shops patrons, she could easily count the factors adding to her misery; one of them being the sole reason she was here sulking in the first place.

Then there was the part about her not knowing _what_ she feeling towards said individual. Yes, she wanted to rip him apart. Yes, she wanted to kill him afterwards. But whenever she allowed her mind to drift away, they always came back to things that thoroughly confused her. Like the night in her bedroom when he had completely shocked her and touched her in ways that made her forget about the existence of reason. And the day after when he showed such gentleness in a chaste kiss and caress she didn't think he was capable of.

Sighing, she ran her fingers through her flaxen locks. Actually, she didn't know _what_ he was capable of anymore. And _she_ didn't understand why such things were even getting under her skin in the first place. Brago had only been treating her differently after the love potion took effect on him. He couldn't control himself. When Koi gave him the cure to reverse the effects, everything would go back to normal...

And the way her mood would darken whenever she thought about _that_ little detail was enough to confuse her even more.

Did she _want _Brago to…desire her?

The thought seemed absolutely preposterous, but even as she thought it, she couldn't help but feel as if in some way, she did. She groaned and ran her hand over her face. Thoughts like these were going to keep her stationed in there in the shop sulking for the better part of the day if she didn't watch it. She was there for a reason.

Anthony had asked her how she proposed she would find Brago in another country when he didn't even have a cell phone, and she hadn't the slightest clue where to find him. The answer was simple. Having as much money at her disposal as she did, locating someone was just a matter of putting the right amount of cash in the right person's hand.

She looked at the address she had written on a napkin when an acquaintance of hers had called with the information she had needed. Sherry had already memorized the name, but she couldn't help but look at it every minute or so, or stuff it in her pocket when she stood to leave.

Brago was going to meet Charlotte, and she would too. Even if he had already forgotten, she still remembered.

They were a team.

xxxx

Koi was rather pleased with himself.

For one, he had a young beautiful woman at his side, who was currently resting her head on his shoulder as they enjoyed the pleasant afternoon weather together in the park. She held his hand in hers, and ran a thumb over the weathered skin there.

"So why don't you come by and see mom more often?" she asked softly, though even as she said it, she couldn't imagine him actually answering her.

He affectionately patted her leg with his free hand.

"Because I'm a stubborn old fool" he replied good-naturedly. His raven haired companion sighed and let the matter drop. When the old man didn't want to discuss something, he didn't. It was useless for her to continue to try. Koi chuckled when he saw her shoulders slump as she admitted defeat and leaned his head back to enjoy the warmth of the sun on his face.

"You know Kureji, I finally figured out how to solve that little problem of mine"

She smiled despite herself. She knew he was just trying to change the subject—but she went along with him anyway. "The 'little problem' you still didn't explain to me yet?"

"That's the one. I was looking at the whole thing wrong before. There's been a cure all along"

"And I _still _don't have the slightest idea what you're talking about"

Koi laughed at that. He had told Kureji that he had a problem that he needed to solve, but he never elaborated from there. He needed to tell someone what was giving him grey hair (though there was still none to speak of on top of his head) these past few weeks, although letting them know _exactly what (_accidently bewitching a man while trying to bewitch a woman, making him fall madly in love with her and possibly poisoning him in the process) was never part of the plan Which was he refrained from telling his beautiful companion everything.

He had not told Sherry that he had an idea for a sort of cure for Brago because he didn't want to get her hopes up to have them crushed later if his findings were false. But alas, his genius mind was able to overcome all obstacles, and in the end, he had a plan that though insane in a way, was sure to make everyone, except probably Brago, happy in the end.

"I can't believe I never thought of it before" the elderly man said to himself thoughtfully.

Kureji raised a brow before shaking her head in amusement. "_What _are you talking about?" she asked with a smile. "Geez…mom was right. You _are_ insane"

"Her kind of man" he responded quirkily.

"I guess"

xxxx

"Are you sure you know where we're going?" Brago asked with a hint of doubt.

Hiewa nodded and looked back with an exasperated look on his face.

"Of course! Everything looks familiar too! I bet if I thought hard enough, I could even remember the exact place!"

This sparked the mamodo's interest. They had been wondering through the streets of Miami Florida for quite a while and he had been thinking if following the hand on a broken watch was really the best way to go about the situation. Hiewa had announced that Miami was their destination yesterday night, which was why they left the hotel so early. After today, he didn't want to ride another bus, taxi or whatever as long as he lived. At least not while accompanied by a hyper active little boy. With the way he couldn't keep his mouth shut, he was surprised nothing flew in his mouth and caused him to choke.

"You've been here before?" he asked.

Hiewa nodded. "Uh huh. Charlotte owns a house here. I've been there loads of times"

Brago furrowed his brows. That meant that Hiewa stayed with Sakakai in Japan and went to visit his sister in America on occasion. Sakakai had hinted it whenever he spoke about the boy during their stay in Orlando, which wasn't often. He was usually trying to handle the children that accompanied him on the trip with the other chaperones.

If Hiewa could remember where Charlotte lived exactly, finding her would be that much easier. Somewhere along the way, locating her and burning her mamodo's book had become his top priority, though whether or not it was still because of the blow to his pride was a different story.

"Do you…want an ice cream cone?" Brago asked uncertainly. He couldn't help but feel how foreign the words were on his tongue. He remembered when Sherry had told him that they were very enjoyable, though he never tried to find truth to her claim for himself. He had seen several carts selling them during their journey in the streets, and he decided that Hiewa deserved one for all his help, though he would die before he admitted it.

Hiewa stopped and looked back at him in utter surprise. Then, the largest smile brightened his face as he was overwhelmed with pure happiness. His reaction took him aback. The way the boy was looking at him now, you would have thought he told him he just inherited billions. Brago found himself reddening (1) in embarrassment, and he looked away as he folded his arms to his chest with a scowl.

"Really?" Hiewa exclaimed hopefully, his annoyingly large brown eyes shining.

Brago grunted.

"Yay!" Hiewa threw his arms around the mamodo's waist and hugged him. "Thank you, thank you! You're the best!"

Brago's eye twitched. If he had known that the boy would have acted like this, he wouldn't have made his offer to treat him! "But only so you can remember where your sister lives" he ground out quickly as he tried to pry the boy from his person.

Hiewa released him and saluted.

"You can count on me! I promise I'll remember by the time I finish my cone!"

Brago felt his eye twitch again but he nodded and allowed himself to be towed away.

xxxx

Frey glared at his partner.

She sat all composed in her lounge chair sipping at her tea as if she were royalty. And she acted the part too. It was because of her laziness that he hadn't fought a battle since Japan, when they faced the blonde wench and her mamodo. He couldn't do much but complain since Charlotte basically did as she pleased. And glare. He did a lot of that—much like he was doing now.

He sat on the lounge chair opposite her, his feet dangling, and intensified his stare. He was hoping that she spontaneously combust—if only to get a laugh out of it. He didn't think much about losing his chance to become king when she didn't seem to put any effort in it anyway.

Charlotte finally looked over her tea to her partner. She quirked a brow.

"Yes?"

"When are we going to battle?" he asked irritably. "All you ever do is laze about!" He hadn't planned on actually getting her attention, but now that he had it, he'd make his frustrations known. Again.

Charlotte closed her eyes tiredly. "Whatever do you mean? And you should stop glaring like that, or else your eyes will fall out"

Frey growled angrily. He looked about two seconds away from throwing a temper tantrum. He really was a like a human child in that respect, though she never knew a kid that swore as much as he did at times.

"Why can't you at least _pretend_ you want to battle? You weren't this bad before!" he accused lethally. His orange eyes were flashing dangerously, and she knew that if she had been someone else, he probably would have killed her.

"Because I want to fight that blonde girl and her mamodo, Brago and Sherry. I know it's them this time"

Frey rolled his eyes. "Then why didn't we just kill them in Japan? Why wait?" he spat.

Charlotte gave him a thoughtful look. He never took the time to enjoy things. She was not very happy unless she toyed with her opponents—they remembered you that way. She didn't expect someone like him who fought merely for the thrill of battle, to understand.

"Why the wild goose chase…?" she began casually, taking another sip from her tea. "I have my reasons"

Frey snorted. "You play with people's emotions to exploit them for your mere entertainment" he assessed. "Women are all the same"

His response surprised her. It sounded as if he were speaking from experience. "And how would you know?" she asked teasingly. Her mamodo partner did something completely out of character. He didn't respond. Instead, he stood to his feet. He shot the dark haired woman another heated glare for good measure, his eyes darkening. Charlotte merely smiled, though it held far too much venom to be considered friendly.

"You better not forget your promise" he snarled. He snorted in disgust before turning on heels and stalking away.

His raven haired partner shrugged. "Of course. It's not like I have a choice, right?"

She took another sip of her tea and wrinkled her nose.

It had gone cold.

* * *

**A/N: **I promise everything will get better in the next chapter, and all your questions will be answered. Did Koi find a cure? What is Charlotte's deal? What will Sherry do when she finds Brago? How many licks does it take to get to the center of tootsie roll pop? Well for that last one, the world will never know…XD

(1) Brago DOES NOT blush :D


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